Class B 3jj 
Book -MS- S B 1 



Copyright N°. 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




WORKING CHURCH 
AND a 



ITS WAY OF WORKING. 
By Charles Edwin Bradt, 
Pastor First Presbyterian 
Church, Wichita, Kansas. 

THE STORY AND HISTORY OF THE 
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 
OF WICHITA, KANSAS 
After thirty three mad one third years, 



"Them art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen 
Abraham?" * * * * * 

Published by 

Missionary Messenger Press 

Wichita, Kansas 
1903. 



I*** y; 1" > 5 > 



the library of 
congress, 

1 wo Copies Received 

SEP 19 1903 

Copyright Entry 
CLASS Os XXfcN© 
COPY B. 



COPYRIGHTBD 1903, By THE AUTHOR. 



Dedicated 

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE 
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 

WICHITA, KANSAS , 
After seven years of ser- 
vice as their Pastor, which 
seemed but a few days for 
the love which was shed 
abroad in our hearts by the 
HOLY GHOST. 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Introduction . 9 

Beginning at Jerusalem . . . 15 
In Jtjdka, Samaria, and unto 

the Uttermost . 37 
Wandering in the Wilderness 

and the Way Out . . . .55 

The Secret of Success Reviewed , 71 
The Missionary Method ... 91 

The Faculty. , With Portraits. | . 119 

The Facilities Xeeded. . . . 153 

The By-Laws 171 

Conclusion 181 



Introduction. 



We are living in an age of visions and dreams. 
I do not mean an age of visionaries and 
dreamers of the air castle kind. I mean an age 
of those who are enjoying the fulfilment of the 
prophecy of Joel: "And it shall come to pass 
in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of 
my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and 
your daughters shall prophesy, and your young 
men shall see visions, and your old men shall 
dream dreams: and on mv servants and on my 
handmaidens I will pour out in those days of 
my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: and I will 
show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the 
earth beneath: blood, and fire, and vapour of 
smoke/' (Acts 11:17-19). 



10 



INTRODUCTION 



God's Holy Spirit is no respecter of persons 
these days, but in every nation he that feareth 
God and worketh righteousness is accepted of 
Him. ISo one needs to become as old as 
Methuselah before he does great and mighty 
things for God, or sees glorious successes for 
the Kingdom of God. If only he will take God 
at his word, and walk by faith, enduring as 
seeing Him who is invisible, God says "I will 
show hin great and mighty things which he 
knoweth not." This is transpiring to day in 
the physical and intellectual world. The 
Spirit leads into all truth. We have just read 
how, "At noon on Dec. 12, 1901, the 2,000 miles 
of the Atlantic were spanned with invisible 
fingers. Cables might now be coiled up and 
sold for junk. Wireless telegraphy has come 
for all the world. And Marconi is but 27. At 
an age when* most men are just beginning he 
has out-stripped all competitors." 

But the most glorious visions, the greatest 
successes are not of the material or intellect- 



INTRODUCTION. 



11 



ual world as such. I refer to these things sim- 
ply by way of illustration, and that we may 
take up unreservedly that which is greater and 
which includes the less, viz., the things of the 
Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Jesus 
Christ stands for the greatest and best things 
of this world and the world to come. He is 
God's Righteousness and King of the Kingdom 
of God. By seeking Him and His Kingdom 
tirst, an individual or a collective body of indi- 
viduals, such as a church, are able to accom- 
plish such results as will make the ears of them 
that hear thereof to tingle with delight and 
amazing astonishment. In these pages I wish 
to call attention to 

SOME THINGS THAT MAY BE ACCOMPLISHED 
AND EXPERIENCED BY A CHURCH IN A SINGLE 
GENERATION, OR LIFE-TIME. 

The generation of which I shall speak is the 
generation in which we now live, and the life 
of which I shall speak is the life of the First 
Presbyterian Church of Wichita, Kansas, 



12 



INTRODUCTION. 



hicb, is just now entering upon its thirty 



jfeipa year, or closing year of its first gener- 
ation. 

May not a church have a life? It surely 
may, yea it must have, if it be a true church 
of Jesus Christ. Christ says, "I am come that 
ye might have life and that ye might have it 
more abundantly." Again. "As Moses lifted 
up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must 
the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever be- 
lie veth on him might not perish but have ever- 
lasting life." Again, "He that believeth in 
me though he were dead yet shkll he live, and 
whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall 
never die." We believe this. Hence a true 
church of Jesus Christ must have a life. A 
church may have a name to live and be dead. 
But such is not a true church of Jesus Christ. 
If then a true church of Jesus Christ has a life, 
it has a history, which is nothing less than 
u His story" written on the fleshy tables of the 
hearts of his people, who, as living epistles, 
may be known and read of all men. 




INTRODUCTION. 



13 



The following pages recount a true life and 
love story. They tell of one church during a 
period of a generation, or an ordinary life time 
of service for Christ's sake and the Gospel's. 
There are some things in this story which are 
extraordinary, hence it has been sought after 
by many, and it is written by urgent request 
There is nothing In this story which is not 
true, and hence which might not be realized 
and experienced with increased profit by 
thousands of churches of the land. Hence it 
is with pleasure placed before the public. It 
may be it will stimulate other churches to 
greater and more heroic self-denial for Christ's 
sake and the Gospel's. Certainly it will help 
to stimulate the church to which it pertains 
to many times the effort and accomplishment 
of the past. 

Jesus Christ has astonished the world by 
what he experienced and accomplished in the 
short space of thirty three years. In that time 
He provided material for constructing, and 



14 



INTRODUCTION. 



food for sustaining the Kingdom of God with 
all its innumerable inhabitants for all time. 
He did it because he worked while it was day, 
he kept his eye on the clock, he knew his hour 
and when it struck his shout was, "It's done! 
I have finished the work thou gavest me to 
do." His admonition to us is, ' 4 Work while it 
is called to day, for the night cometh when no 
man can work. What thou doest do quickly. 
Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the 
city and compel them to come in that my 
house may be full. " 



BEGINNING at JERUSALEM 



Chapter 1 



Beginning at Jerusalem* 

The following account of the early begin- 
ning of the church from the pen of C. S. Cald- 
well, for many years an elder in the church is 
of genuine authenticity and interest: 

"The First Presbyterian Church of Wichita, 
Kansas, was organized the 13th of March, 1870, 
with thirteen members, in what was then a 
small western cattle town, more than one hun- 
dred miles from any railroad, and amid condi- 
tions by no means favorable to the growth of 
a church. 

In the month of October 1869, the Rev. 
Wilberforce K. Boggs was directed by Rev. 
Timothy Hill, District Secretary of the Board 
of Home Missions for the State of Kansas, to 



18 A WORKING OHURCII. 

visit this place, and if the way be clear, to 

organize a Presbyterian church. 

Wichita was then a frontier, military post oc- 
cupied by a company of United States troops 
to protect the few settlers in this valley from 
the Indians. Dr. Boggs spent some days in 
looking over the field and finding, as he be- 
lieved, a door opened unto him from the Lord, 
returned in the course of a few weeks and took 
up his residence here. 

At this time Wichita was, so to speak, the 
uttermost end of the earth, more than one 
hundred miles beyond the most daring railroad; 
and the few inhabitants that were here were 
chiefly young unmarried men, or men who had 
left their families in the east and had come out 
into this wilderness to prepare homes for those 
who were to follow them. 

Dr. Boggs held his first religious services in a 
dugout, finished above ground with Cotton- 
wood logs, and covered with earth, situated on 
Waco avenue just north of Oak Street, near 
the residence of Hon. Finlay Ross. 



BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM. 19 



» 




The ^Log House-Dug Out" ix Which the 
Church was Organized 1870, 



20 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



During this autumn and the succeeding win- 
ter, regular services were held, and on the 13th 
of March 1870, the church was regularly organ- 
ized, with thirteen members, viz: John M. 
Steel, Wra. Finn, Edward A. Peck, Wm. H. 
Gill, Wm. Smith, R. M. Cowes, B. S. Dunbar, 
Lucy Greenway, Ella I. Boggs, Margarets. 
Peck, Anna B. Peck, Mary E. Peck, and 
Amy Sayles, 

At the organization of the church, J. M. Steel 
and Edward A. Peck were chosen Elders. 

In the spring of 1870 the little church left 
the dugout, moved over to Main Street, corner 
of Third Street, and during the summer, held 
their services in a room over a livery stable. 
During this summer the city of Wichita was 
laid out, platted and began to attract some 
attention as a trading and outfitting point for 
hunting parties, Indian traders, and cattle 
men. All kinds of people were found here: 
frontier desperadoes, adventurers of all kinds, 
and Texas cow boys were very much in evi- 



BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM. 21 



dence, and Wichita began to be a typical fron- 
tier town. 

During this summer the building of a churcli 
was discussed and so promptly acted upon that 
by the first of the year 1871, a new church was 
ready for occupancy, situated on the corner of 
Wichita and Second Street, where the M. P. 
freight depot now stands constructed largely of 
green Cottonwood lumber brought from Em- 
poria, Florence and otJier points. People of 
all shades of belief, and of no belief at all con- 
tributed to the building and support of the 
church. It soon became a recognized institu- 
tion and a positive force for good in the com- 
munity." 

The early history of the organization of the 
church and the struggle to obtain their first 
house of worship is graphically told by Rev. 
Timothy Hill, the Synodical Missionary of 
Kansas at that time. Writing to Dr. Field, 
of the Evangelist, Jan. 2, 1873, with reference 
to an effort the church made in that early 
day to secure funds with which to build their 
first house of worship, he says:— 



22 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



Wichita is situated on the Arkansas river, 
near the mouth of the Little Askansas river, 
228 miles south-west of Kansas City. It is the 
centre of a very fertile region of country, and 
has an extensive trade, not only in the region 
around it, but in the Indian Territory, Texas 
and New Mexico. The Texas cattle .trade is 
largely concentrated there. The natural con- 
sequence of this is that there is a class of the 
roughest people in the land there. No men 
are more reckless of human life than the fron- 
tier men and the gamblers that frequent such 
towns. They usually go around with several 
revolvers, and when excited by whiskey, the 
least provocation leads to shots, and frequently 
to death. There is not a town in all Southern 
Kansas into which the Texan trade has come, 
in which there have been no murders, and 
Wichita has been no exception. The town 
now contains some 2,500 inhabitants, and 
among them are many highlv cultivated and 
earnest Christian people. Our church has 



BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM. 23 
been there from the very first, and now stands 
like a light house for the region around. 

Let me give its brief history. In October 
1869, the Rev. W. K. Boggs visited the place. 
The town then was far beyond the settle- 
ments, and was little more than an Indian 
trading post, consisting of about a dozen builct 
ings of the most nondescript materials and 
description. These dwellings were two or 
three Indian -/teepees,'' four or five ''dugouts, " 
one log house, and the remainder stockades. 
Now, if your readers fail to understand these 
terms (familiar to any frontier man), they will 
not fail to know that it was no easy task to 
preach to the desperadoes, horse thieves, and 
others then congregated there. Here Brother 
Boggs began, and preached the first sermon 
ever heard in all that region. His nearest 
Presbyterian member was 60 miles distant, 
and the nearest house of worship for the Pres- 
byterians was 130 miles orT. Soon a better 
population began to come in, and on the 13th 



24 A WORKING CHURCH. 



of March, 1870, he organized a church of 13 
members, seven of them males. About the 
same time an effort was made to build a church. 
Their ideas were very moderate; they could 
raise about $800, and with the aid of $400 from 
the Board of Church Erection, they hoped to 
complete a building suited to their wants. 
This sum Dr. Ellinwood provided them. Such 
was the situation of things in the spring of 
1870. 

On the 20th of August of the same year I 
visited the place. I found a town of 127 houses 
(I counted them), and therefore estimated the 
population at 650 people. These houses were 
all of the most hasty and cheap construction; 
there was not a brick in the town at that time. 
Sabbath came; I preached in the upper part 
of an unfinished store, the carpenters had not 
completed their work, and the shavings were 
not swept out; the seats were boards supported 
on nail-kegs, boxes, &c. In that room was an 
attentive congregation of sixty persons, of 



BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM. 



25 



whom but seven were women. Indeed there 
were but few women in the town, its inhabi- 
tants were young men, and men whose families 
were still East, for whom they were preparing 
homes. 

I found nothing" had been done towards build- 
ing the church for which preparations had 
been made in the Spring. On inquiry I found 
that the whole situation of affairs was so much 
changed since the application to the Board had 
been made in the spring that a new plan was 
needed. It was necessary to have a bouse 
that would cost more than $1200, and the lots 
that had at first been selected were entirely 
unsuited to the place. I consulted with all 
parties in regard to lots; others were selected, 
arrangements were made for immediately be- 
ginning the work, and so confident was I that 
the church needed more than the promised 
$400, that I advised them to apply ?gain to the 
Board for $600, instead of $400, for a house 
that was to cost $1500. Such application was 



26 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



made, but the Presbytery only recommended 
$500. I wrote to the Secretary, and urged that 
more than $400 should be given, thinking that 
as I had been on the ground and knew the real 
situation of things, while no other Presbyter- 
ian minister, save Mr. Boggs, had ever been 
within sixty miles of the place, that some heed 
would be given to mv earnest entreaty. But 
no; that church had once, under entirely differ- 
ent circumstances, gi ven their pledge that $400 
would complete their house, and but $400 it 
was to be. The consequence was that the 
church found themselves in deep trouble, and 
nothing but the timely aid of $200 from the 
Memorial Fund saved them from extreme 
financial difficulty. With the aid so obtained 
they built a small frame house 25x46 feet, cost- 
ing $1500. The house never was plastered, and 
they who sat there looked up to the shingles of 
the roof over their heads. Such was the house 
built when there were but 650 or 700 people in 
the town. Now there is a town of at least 2500 



BEGINNING 



AT JEKUSALEM. 



2: 




The First Building Erected by the 
Church. Occupied 1871. 



28 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



people, and the church was not only too small, 
but by the growth of the town in a direction 
not anticipated when there was no railroad, 
it was situated where the greater part of the 
people could not be accommodated. 

For these causes they have sold their house 
for $550, and business men assure me that it is 
all it is worth—a good bargain. So ill- suited 
was their house, that when they began service 
in a rented hall in a better location, the con- 
gregation immediately increased, and the Sab- 
bath -school was doubled. 

Now what shall this houseless flock do? 
They cannot build such a house as they need. 
There is a good deal of business in the town, 
but the money of the place is not in the hands 
of the Presbyterians. Pray tell us, what shall 
a church that has received the full sum of $400 
from the Board of Church Erection do in such 
a case? How shall i 'these great sinners of 
Kansas'* be accommodated? They need im- 
mediately a house that shall seat comfortably 



BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM. 20 

at least 300 people: and with such a house they 
can sustain their own pastor, and thus relieve 
the Board of Home Missions in one year, or at 
least in two years. But such a house will cost 
not less than $5000. That sum cannot be raised 
in Wichita at this time, and now what shall 
"these great sinners of Kansas'* do? Ye who 
spend $200,000 on a church, ye who speak of 
the annoyance of oft-repeated applications 
from poor mission churches, whose poor pas- 
tors often in weariness and deep mortification 
force themselves upon your notice, most un- 
welcome, pray tell me what such a people 
really ought to do in the case? v 

The above quotation authenticates for us 
many facts of the early life of the church, and 
also furnishes a picture of the struggle of many 
another church endeavoring to secure a foot- 
hold on Kansas soil. We continue the narra- 
tive at this point from the pen of Mr. C. S. 
Caldwell. 

"Dr. Boggs gave up the work earlj in Decern- 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



ber of 1871. He died July 26th, 1872. and is 
buried in Highland Cemetery, 

Rev. John P. Hansen took up the work imme- 
diately upon the retirement of Dr. Boggs, mov- 
ing here in December 1871, and remaining in 
charge as its pastor until June 1879. The build- 
ing on the corner of Wichita and Second 
street was occupied by the church until Nov. 
1872, when it was sold to the Catholic people 
and moved to the corner of Second street and 
St, Francis Ave. After some years it was sold 
and moved to No. 609 North Main street, and 
is now known as the Centropolis Hotel. 

Upon the sale and removal of the church 
building in Nov. 1872, the church secured Eagle 
Hall for a place of worship, and continued to 
use it until the close of 1875. Eagle Hall was 
a room 50x80 feet over the East half of the 
Boston Store. It was the only public hall in 
the city at that time, and was used for all pub- 
lic meetings, shows, conventions, etc., during 
the week, and for church services on Sabbath. " 



BEGINNING 



AT JERUSALEM. 



31 



The following personal letter from Dr. Hill 
to Rev. John P. Harsen, the pastor of the 
church at that time, is of interest as bearing 
not only upon the question of the need of a 
new church building but as a prophecy of the 
future influence of the church: 

Kansas City, Mo., July 24, 1873. 

B e v. John P. Harsen, 

Dear Brother: I am greatly interested 
in your efforts to secure a good church build- 
ing in Wichita. I know how extremely incon- 
venient and uncomfortable your present hired 
hall must be at all times, but more especially 
in hot weather. It is always a great waste of 
ministerial labor to be obliged to preach ia 
such places. It is a pity to have precious time 
lost in such a place. I regard Wichita as by 
far, the most important town in Southern 
Kansas, the metropolis of the rich Arkansas 
Valley. The moral character of Wichita will 
be felt all around, not only in the adjoining re- 
gion of Kansas but in the Indian Teritory, 
Texas, and New Mexico, and the influence of 
our church there is especially desirable not 
only for the town but for a wide region around. 

Yours truly, T. Hill. 



32 A WORKING CHURCH. 



Mr. Caldwell tells how the church prospered 
even In a hired hall: 

41 During these four years the church stood by 
her colors, and prospered, gathering strength 
to build them a house of worship. This was 
undertaken in the spring of 1876, Bro. Harsen 
bending himself to the task, and on the 4th of 
July of that year, the corner stone of our pres- 
ent church building was laid. At the close of 
1875, we abandoned Eagle Hall. The First 
Baptist church being without a pastor we ob- 
tained and used their church, which is the 
East wing of their present building; this was 
our church home while our own church, or 
rather the East wing of our present building 
was being built. This was completed, and 
dedicated to the worship of God in Sep. 1877. 
Dr. F. S. McCabe of Topeka, preached the 
dedicatory sermon. It was a season of great 
rejoicing to the little church that they now 
had a home, and all joined heartily in praising 
God, and telling of his goodness to the children 
of men." 




The Second Building Erected By The 
Church. Corner Stone Laid July 4, 1876. 



34 A WOEKING CHUECH. 



One of the unmistakable evidences of the 
manifest power of God with His people is that 
whenever they undertake to work for Him, 
even in a small way, their success is always 
far beyond and above the expenditure of means 
and energy, humanly speaking. If God's peo- 
ple would undertake to do for Him with any- 
thing like the lavish expenditure of time and 
talent, means and money they make when 
engaged in their secular, ordinary business 
enterprises, the world would be taken for the 
Lord in a generation of time. Then if each 
succeeding generation would be equally faith- 
ful the world would truly be the Lord's forever. 
We are too willing to have God dwell in a cel- 
lar while we live in ceiled houses, and do bus- 
iness for God in a shack while we carry on our 
affairs in magnificent brick blocks and sky 
scrapers. Then we wonder why God's cause 
does not succeed better and why the men of 
the world do not take any more interest in the 
Christian religion. The wonder is that it sue- 



BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM. 



B5 



ceeds as as well as it does. Of course if we have 
no more to do with for God.. God will ask no 
more. No doubt in the early days of the First 
Presbyterian Church of Wichita, the people 
did the best they could under the circumstan- 
ces, hence the church has been marvelously 
blessed. Xo doubt also it is far better for 
God's people to work in an humble way and 
with humble means depending upon God. than 
to make a great display of material means, de- 
pending upon their use for success, and doing 
what they do with pride and vain glory. But 
no doubt also, if God's people, having means, 
will consecrate them humbly and lovingly 
to carry on His work with anything like the 
practical liberality and enthusiasm they 
use in their business and personal enter- 
prises. God's cause will have a monopoly of 
human hearts in a very short time. 



IN JUDEA, SAMARIA, AND 
UNTO THE UTTERMOST 



In Judea, Samaria and the Uttermost. 

Following Mr. C. S« Caldwell, faithful com- 
piler of facts and reliable historian of the 
church at this time we are led into other inter- 
esting and fruitful fields, which begin, to dis- 
close to us the secret of the churches remarka- 
ble vigor. We find it to have been, even in its 
early days, a missionary church, possessed of 
the same spirit of the old church at Antioch 
where the disciples were first called Chsistians. 
Why were they called Christians? Because 
they had and manifested the Spirit of Christ 
which led them to undertake to preach the 
gospel to every creature: 

"On the 1st of Jan., 1876, the membership of 
the church was 112. By God's blessing upon 



BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM. 39 



the efforts of pastors and people the church has 
grown to a membership of over twelve hun- 
dred, which places it, numerically, among the 
largest churches of the United States. While 
this numerical growth has in some ways been 
remarkable, it is very clear to those in touch 
with it, and who have watched its spiritual de- 
velopment, that it has only kept pace numeri- 
cally with its spiritual growth, and as a result 
of its faith, and an honest endeavor to obey 
the Divine command: "Go ye into all the 
world and preach the Gospel to every crea- 
ture." This has been the watch-word of the 
Church from its organization. 

All four of the grand men who have been 
our pastors in the years gone by, were men of 
faith and of broad liberal views along mission- 
ary lines, always emphasizing Matt. xxviii:18- 
20, and Acts 1:8, as containing the great prac- 
tical duty of the church, insisting that when 
the Lord gave that great and final command, 
He meant what he said, and expected His 



40 A WORKING CHURCH. 

church and people to make an honest endeavor 
to obey it, and thus prove Him. These truths 
were so earnestly laid upon the consciences of 
our people that as opportunity offered they 
readily and willingly responded as the follow- 
ing pages will prove. 

Bro. Harsen resigned his pastorate in April 
1879, removing to Luzerne County Pa., where 
he died Sep. 26th, 1886. In his pastorate- of 
seven years and five months, he received into 
membership 123 by examination, and 218 by 
letter. 

In June 1879, immediately after the retire- 
ment of Bro. Harsen, Rev. John D. Hewitt 
D. D. came and took charge of the work, which 
grew so rapidly that in 1882, it became ap- 
parent that the church building was too small, 
and must be enlarged. Dr. Hewitt took the 
matter in hand with his accustomed energy, 
and the transept of our present building was 
the result; completed and dedicated in the 
autumn of 1883, at a cost of about $10,000. 



IN JUDUA, SAMARIA, ETC. 41 




Transept Addition to Second Butldtn 
1833, 



42 A WORKING CHURCH. 



Rev. R. M. Overstreet of Emporia preached 
the sermon. The services were opened by an 
overture by orchestra, and singing- "Gloria" 
from Mozart's 12th Mass. by a large Chorus 
Choir. 

While the transept of our present church 
was being built, in the summer of 1883, we 
occupied the old Turner Opera House, corner 
of Main and First Street for our regular church 
services. 

As early as 1883 a little country 
church was organized and a neat chapel erect- 
ed at Harmony six miles west of the city, to 
which the First Church contributed to the 
amount of several hundred dollars. 

In 1884 the city began to grow very rapidly, 
and the four out-lying suburbs began to call 
for Presbyterian Organization, and church 
buildings. The responsibility for this work 
was all assumed by the First Presbyterian 
church, and the work carried forward to com- 
pletion, at a total cost of about eight thousand 
dollars for lots and buildings. 



IN JUDEA, SAMARIA, ETC. 43 

Oak Street was built in 1884. Lincoln 
Street, West Side, and Burton followed, one 
each year until all were completed and dedi- 
cated tree from debt. 

It was in 1887 that the first call came to us 
with marked effect from over the seas. 

Dr. Corbett who had been for twenty years 
a Missionary in China, visited us, and after 
placing the importance of his work before us 
and the urgent needs of that lield, asked for a 
contribution to aid in the erection of a Nor- 
mal School building at his Station in Chefoo, 
China. The response was very liberal, a- 
mounting to twenty-five hundred dollars, 
which completed the school building, and 
provided the salaries for two other native 
pastors, and scholarships for several worthy 
pupils. 

In 1888, more Sunday School room was need- 
ed, and the Iron Clad room in the rear, was 
added. 



A WORKING CHUECH. 




Iron Clad Addition to Second Building, 
1888. 



IN JUDEA, SAMARIA, ETC. 45 

The Bible School has been one of the flour- 
ishing departments of church work from the 
first. Mr. Charles Lawrence, who has been 
Recording Secretary of the school continu- 
ously for over twenty five years, is quoted 
below with respect to some interesting historic 
facts relative to the school. His testimony 
shows that the missionary spirit has divided 
the school several times to plant mission 
schools in various parts of the city, while the 
parent school has multiplied seven fold. He 
says: 

"The First Presbyterian Sabbath School of 
Wichita was organized on Jan. 1st, 1871 in the 
first church building owned by the Presby- 
terians and which stood on the South East 
corner of Second and Wichita Streets. 

Robert E. Lawrence was the first Superin- 
tendent and the first corps of teachers was as 
follows: 

Mr. Weeks, Men's Bible Class. 
Ed Smith, Ladies' Bible Class. 



46 A WORKING CHURCH. 



Dr. Boggs, class of Young Men. 

Mrs. M. B. Kellogg, a Girl's Class. 

Mrs. Drew, small Girl's Class. 

Mrs. Stone, small Boy's Class. 
The Primary class was taught hy Miss Jessie 
Hunter, now Mrs. J. H. Black. 

The enrollment of the school, which was 
about 100 during the first year or two of its 
history, has increased from year to year. 
There have gone out from the parent school 
four vigorous branches, which remain to this 
day. The original school to-day has on its rolls 
700 members. " 

Prof. J. M. Naylor Ph. D., one of the hon- 
ored elders of the church for many years tells 
of the birth of what he calls the "third child 
of the church," Lewis Academy, named thus 
in honor of another stalwart member of the 
Session, Col. H. W. Lewis: 

"Early in the eighties the then pastor of 
this church, at that time Rev. J. D. Hewitt, 
conceived the idea of establishing an Academy 



IN T JUDEA, SAMARIA, ETC. 4? 

in Wichita. This school, therefore , is not one 
of the fruits of the Real Estate boom but was 
projected and well under way before the Boom 
was thought of. The fact that not one of 
several young men, from this county, who had 
gone to the State University to prepare them- 
selves for the ministry, had completed his 
course and entered the service of the Master 
according to his original intention, was proof 
conclusive to Rev. Hewitt and his coadjutors 
that it was high time that the church should 
bestir herself. The Presbytery of Emporia in 
the spring of 1884 appointed a Board of Trus* 
tees and directed them to establish an Acade- 
my within the bounds of the Presbytery, to 
procure a charter, to secure the necessary mon» 
ey with which to erect the building, and to 
open the school at once. This Board of Trus- 
tees, viz., Messrs A. W. Oliver, Rev. W. F. 
Harper, R. E. Lawrence, Rev. J. D. Hewitt, 
A. A. Hyde, L. B. Ferrell, M. W. Levy, John 
Tucker, Rudolph Hatfield, H. W. Lewis, L. B. 



48 A WORKING CHURCH. 



Bunnell and W. C. Little secured from the 
citizens of Wichita and vicinity the sum of 
$20,000 bv subscriptions, purchased the present 
site, secured a charter for "Wichita Academy," 
and erected the North wing of the present 
building. In 1886 in recognition of a liberal 
donation of $25,000 made to the instituti on by 
Mr. Hiram W. Lewis, the name of the school 
was changed to Lewis Academy. In Septem- 
ber 1886 the school opened with 102 pupils. 
The teachers were, J. M. Naylor, Miss Lucy A. 
DuBois and Lide M. Abell. The trustees had 
decided not to erect more of the building than 
the North wing until they could secure more 
means with which to push the work; but the 
boom came, other competing institutions were 
started and the Board of Trustees was com- 
pelled to complete the whole of the commodi- 
ous building, which now stands as an ornament 
to the city, a monument to the wisdom and 
zeal of its founders, and a fountain of endless 
streams of blessings to the community and 
surrounding country." 



IN JTDEA, SAMARIA, ETC. 49 

The foregoing historic records clearly show 
that the practical working spirit of the First 
Presbyterian Church of Wichita, from its very 
beginning, was a missionary spirit. There 
are, however, many very interesting incidents 
* and testimonies to this fact, some of which it 
will be very profitable to consider, showing 
how the spirit reached out through the church 
to seek and to save the lost. 

Mr. Robert E. Lawrence, the senior elder of 
the Session tells how the church won his 
heart, which reveals the spir it of the church 
as the Spirit of the Master, a genuine mission- 
ary spirit:— 

; 'It was in the latter part of May, 1870. my first 
night in Wichita, after riding six weeks in a 
covered wagon, that we camped on the bank 
of the Little Arkansas river. During the 
evening as I wandered along the banks of the 
river, all at once the sound of a Gospel Hymn 
broke upon my ears, and following the sound, 
I entered a little house which stood near the 



SO A WORKING CHUBCH. 



river about where the Oak Street bridge now 
crosses that stream. 

I found later that it was the weekly prayer 
meeting of the First Presbyterian Church. 
As I was 1,700 miles from home, where I had 
always had Christian training, and withal feel- 
ing a little lonely, it was cheering and com- 
forting to receive a cordial welcome and a 
hearty hand shake from those earnest Chris- 
tian people. The first Sabbath service I at- 
tended was held in an unfinished store room. 
For seats we had boards laid across kegs and 
boxes. It was a novel and interesting service 
to me. 

During the year of 1870 we had no regular 
place of worship; we used unfinished store 
rooms, rooms over store rooms, livery stables, 
bar rooms of hotels, or any place that could be 
secured. 

This has always been the stranger's church, 
every one welcome; the new comer is given a 
hearty greeting and hand shake that makes 



IN JUDEA, SAMARIA, ETC. 51 

him feel at once that he has found friends. 

The hardest church duty I ever performed 
was to leave the First Church and join in the 
work on the West Side. It was like severing 
family ties to leave my many dear friends and 
acquaintances in the church. I hope that 
when the record is read up yonder, the angels 
and members of these live churches shall 
receive no words of condemnation. ,, 

Dr. Hewitt, after twenty-five years of the 
church's life had been lived, and after serving 
the church ten years of this time as its pas- 
tor, describes the leading characteristics of the 
church, showing it to have been missionary. 
He says in an address delivered March 13, 1895 
at the twenty-fifth anniversary of the church: 
"In studying the growth and development 
of the First Presbyterian Church of Wichita, 
it is necessary to take into consideration some 
of the characteristics of Wichita society. Every 
city or community has "personal" qualities 
and peculiarities as marked and definite as 



52 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



those of individual citizens. To understand 
Wichita one must know the people. He must 
take their "composite" photograph, and thus 
get into his mind the norm of the Wichita 
man. I have such a picture. One of its prom- 
inent features is enterprise. How our citizens 
plan and work and drive to secure success! 
Courage is strongly indicated in this composite 
man, and it is evident he has not known what 
complete failure means. Versatility is his in 
large measure. 

When I came here in 1879 I found a church 
membership that had been gathered together 
largely by the zeal and faithfulness, under God 
of the Rev. J. P. Harsen. During the minis- 
try of various pastors this church has had 
much to do in determining the problem of 
progress in Wichita. 

As an organization it has always stood for 
the true doctrines of the Presbyterian church, 
as they are contained in the Scripture and in 
the standards of the church. 



IN JUDEA. SAMARIA. ETC. 



53 



As a social factor its membership has ever 
been on the side of culture, refinement, honesty 
and purity. 

But the chief characteristic of this church 
has been the manifestation of it's spiritual life. 
This Living force has been marked from time 
to time by outward signs and events. In the 
time of my ministry from 1879 to 1889 the first 
great advance was made when the old church 
was remodeled and enlarged. After full discus- 
sion and mature deliberation the church de- 
cided upon this advance step, one man offer- 
ing to pay one tenth of all the expense. After 
tins generous offer it was an easy matter to 
complete the subscription of over $8,000. 

The Whittle revival marked another era of 
progress. There were not a great number of 
conversions, but many of the people had such 
insight into the Scriptures as they had never 
known before. This was a wonderful work of 
the Spirit of God. 

The interest that our young men took in the 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



Y. M. C. A. organization was helpful to the 
association and to the church. 

No greater impulse was given to our life 
during those years than that which we received 
by the building of the five mission churches, Har- 
mony, West Side, Oak Street, Lincoln Street 
and Perkins. All of these mission churches 
were born in the First Church and in many 
cases the members who were gathered in the 
new organizations were sent out, some of them 
by urgent persuasion from the First Church. 

The building of the Academy developed 
another life and work. M uch good has come 
to our people and to the city as a result of the 
founding of this school. 1 mention the Benev- 
olent Society, the Golden Rule Society, after- 
wards the Y. P, S. C. E., and the Missionary 
Societies, all organized in these ten years, 
as co-agents in the service of the church, the 
value of which work cannot be estimated." 



WANDERING in the WILDER- 
NESS AND THE WAY OUT 



Chapter III 

Wandering in the Wilderness and the 

Way Out. 

Mr. Caldwell tells of the beginning of a pe- 
riod of trial and bitter bondage to debt, which, 
however, the church was enabled to free its- 
self from by a return to "the way of the Lord.' 1 
u 1887 marked the high tide of material 
prosperity in our Church, City and State, and 
proved to be the critical period in our church 
life. We felt rich and increased in goods and 
in need of nothing, hence we let go of the 
* Lord's hand and started out in our own 
strength- 

The result of course was, the church lost 
her bearings, and began to drift. She planned 
for a magnificent new church building, pur- 



WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS. 57 

chased expensive lots for this purpose, and did 
other foolish things. When in 1888 the great 
financial revolution came, and we gathered 
ourselves together, we were face to face with 
a church debt of $30,000. which from our hu- 
man stand point seemed beyond our ability 
to pay. 

Dr. Hewitt retired from the field early in 
the year 1889, after a pastorate of ten years, 
having received into membership. 179 on ex- 
amination and 403 by letter. Dr. Hewitt died 
April 21st. 1898. 

In April 1889, soon after the retirement of 
Dr. Hewitt, Dr. David Winters became our 
pastor, and during his pastorate of seven years 
the church continued to grow very rapidly, 
and reached 800. During the winter of 1894 
and '95. the city was pretty thoroughly moved 
by a union revival service led by Maj. Cole. 
Large numbers were converted and each of 
the churches of the city received liberal acces- 
sions to the membership. In April 1896, after 



58 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



a pastorate of seven years, Dr. Winters re- 
signed his charge. While here he received 
into the church, by examination 420, and by 
letter 470. 

But the Lord had better thing's in store for 
us whenever we were willing to follow his lead. 

For more than a half dozen years he left us 
groping in the dark, struggling to keep our in- 
terest paid up. We grew in membership but 
were spiritually rather on the wane. Whis- 
tling to keep our courage up, ever and anon 
we would sing, "Fly abroad thou glorious 
gospel," but "Did'na gie verra muckle to 
make it fly," 

This seven years of captivity to debt and 
wandering in the wilderness, under God's hand 
was a valuable experience for us. We realized 
how foolish we had been and how futile it is to 
trust in our own strength, especially in mat- 
ters pertaining to the Master's Kingdom. We 
realized the necessity of turning back to the 
Lord, and getting hold of his hand again. 



wandering in the wilderness, m 



This was our condition when Dr. C E Biadt 
came to us as pastor, June 11. 1896." 

The experience of a particular church is 
simply of local interest as long as it remains 
purely local in its enterprises. But given a 
church that views its local parish as a place to 
plant the lever of a faith with which to move 
the world, and you have a church that is sure 
to come into world wide prominence, and one 
in which will be interested all who are praying 
for the Kingdom of God to come in the earth. 

To tell the experience of such a church is 
not to boast with Nebuchadnezzar: "Is not 
this great Babylon that I have built for the 
he use of the King, by the might of my power 
and for the honor of my majesty?' 1 Bur it is 
to bear witness to what God hath wrought: 
how he can take the weak things of the world 
and confound the mighty, and the things that 
are not and bring to naught the things that 
are. that no flesh should glory in his sight: 
For, "except the Lord build the house they 



60 A WORKING CHURCH. 



labor in vain that build it, except the Lord 
keep the city, the watchman waketh but in 
vain." (Ps. CXXVII, 1). 

Several years ago, conditions prevailed in 
Wichita, Kansas, which made the continued 
existence of any institution however free from 
internal embarrassment, more or less precari- 
ous. But the First Presbyterian Church was 
burdened with many thousands of dollars of 
debt, with no assets that had any marketable 
value. The members, though heroic and gen- 
erous, had personal obligations and responsi- 
bilities which taxed them almost beyond the 
limit of endurance. These conditions made 
the problem of a bare existence as a church 
organization, and the maintenance of the stat- 
ed services of the church a great question. 
The fact is, such an existence had not been fi- 
nancially sustained for some time previous, 
and in consequence a floating indebtedness, 
rising higher and higher each year, was threat- 
ening to submerge the church, and extinguish 



WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS. 61 



the lighted candlestick, or cause its removal. 
When, added to this state, they looked not 
upon a fair harbor in which they might anchor 
for a time until the storm was passed, but 
upon the frowning cliffs and rocks of a large 
bonded debt of $18,000, for which they had- 
nothing to show, and with which they had no 
means apparently, to grapple, it is not surpris- 
ing that they were well-nigh discouraged. 

At this time, however the Lord appeared 
unto the church, as truly as He appeared unto 
Paul of old. and said to her what he said to 
Paul: 

"Rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have 
appeared unto thee for* this purpose, to make 
thee a minister and a witness both of these 
things which thou hast seen, and of those 
things in the which I will appear unto thee: 
delivering thee from the people, and from the 
Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open 
their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to 
light, and from the power of Satan unto God. 



62 



A WORKING CHURCH, 



that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and 
inheritance among them which are sanctified 
by faith that is in me. 

"All power is given unto me in heaven and 
in earth. Go ye, therefore, and make disciples 
of all the nations, baptizing them into the name 
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost; teaching them to observe all things 
whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, J 
am with you alway, even unto the end of the 
world. Amen." 

In the face of these facts the doctrine was 
preached, that Christ had conditioned His 
presence and His almighty power, the Holy 
Spirit, upon practical willingness, on the part 
of His people, to obey the great commission. 
One cold, bleak, January morning the pastor 
crossed the threshold of the church with this 
conviction in his heart, prepared with a mes- 
sage for his discouraged people, that their sal- 
vation as a church, financially and every other 
way depended upon their taking the little flour 



WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS. 63 



they had in the barrel and the little oil they 
had in the cruse and undertaking to feed first 
of all the starving millions of heathen souls 
with the bread of life. From the sacred pre* 
cincts of the empty pews and galleries of the 
church that pastor seemed to hear whispers 
as he passed along the aisles of the church to 
the session room to meet the elders for prayer 
before the service. The import of those whis- 
perings seemed to be that the pastor had gone 
crazy, that he had lost his mental balance. 
But at every step a voice within said, "Lo I 
am with thee." And he knew it to be the 
voice of the Son of God* When he reached the 
session room he looked in the faces of those 
men of God, for encouragement in the delivery 
of his message. As they prayed eyes were filled 
with tears, and as the pastor turned his face 
to the wall to hide their flow, through his tears 
he saw the Son of God, and again he heard 
Him say, 4, Lo I am with thee. " And the Lord 
did stand with him while he delivered his mes s 



64 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



sage, that morning, and Christ revealed Him- 
self as a world Saviour to the people. Where- 
upon this church was not disobedient unto the 
heavenly vision, but undertook to show unto 
them of China, as well as at Wichita and of 
our own land that they should repent and turn 
to God and do works meet for repentance. 
That very day the church took for support a 
missionary pastor on the foreign field, Dr. 
Hunter Corbett, of Chet'oo, China. And that 
very year, too, the church closed its books 
without a deficit in its current expenses and 
with its floating debt removed,— -a condition it 
had not enjoyed for ten years previous, accord- 
ing to the showing of the Treasurer. The 
next year the church more than doubled the 
amount contributed to Foreign Missions the 
previous year, and added to its pay-roll a Home 
missionary: and that year it removed its 
bonded debt, closing the year with money in 
the treasury and all financial obligations met. 
The philosophy of the church's salvation at 



WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS. 65 



that time was this, the church became infatu- 
ated with Jesus Christ and the w r ork for which 
He gave His life, and in consequence she en- 
tered upon a life of faith to give even the little 
meal she had in the barrel and the oil in the 
cruse for Jesus Christ, and go with Christ even 
unto the uttermost parts of the earth to help 
save lost man. In consequence Christ verified 
His promise to be with the church. 

The foreign pilgrimage has cost the church 
during the past seven years about $15,000. with 
which she has sustained and is sustaining four 
American Foreign missionaries and about 
twenty five native pastors and assistants, and 
much other work. The church last year con- 
tributed an average of about four dollars a 
member to Foreign missions. 

But the fact that the church went so far 
away from home in her interests, and with such 
an increase of contributions is not the only 
thing that has caused comment, or awakened 
curiosity, not to say wonder, in the minds of 



06 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



some people. This to be sure, was done at a 
time when the church was financially embar- 
rassed at home, and her very life and existence 
threatened. Hence it seemed to some suicidal 
and foolish. But during this very time, by 
reason of this same infatuation for Jesus Christ » 
born of a fresh vision of the Son of God, re- 
vealed through His word in the clear light Of 
the Great Commission, the church has been 
enabled to do as much forHome missions as for 
Foreign; and upward of $15,000 during the past 
seven years has been put upon the altar of 
God fox this work also. 

But this is not yet the most astonishing re- 
sult of becoming infatuated with Jesus Christ 
when the church perceived the Heavenly vision 
and received the great commission. So greatly 
was the church wrought upon by the Spirit 
taking the things of Jesus and showing His at- 
tractive beauty unto her, viz: His self denial 
for the lost world, that she has been enabled to 
contribute not only thus to further the Gospel 



WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS. 67 

at home and abroad, but out of what seemed 
her poverty she has brought so generously that 
during tbe past seven years upward of $50,000 
has been contributed by her to sustain the 
preaching of the Gospel and establish the 
Kingdom of God in Wichita. So that to-day 
the church has not only no debt, but she has 
and maintains in Wichita one of the largest 
plasnts doing business for God anywhere in the 
Uuited States, with a pastor, two assistant pas- 
tors, two office assistants,a city missionary, a cen- 
tral church, of 1200 members, a mission church, 
two Bible schools, more than one hundred offi- 
cers and teachers, eight hundred scholars, a 
Men's Department, with Men's Club and two 
Boy's Clubs, a Girl's industrial department, 
four Christian Endeavor Societies, four Ladies' 
Societies, a Young Peoples' Missionary Society, 
a Junior Missionary Society, a Children's Mis- 
sion Band, a Bible training department, seven 
Prayer Meetings, a printing department, issue- 
ing many thousands of pages of printed matter 



68 A WORKING CHURCH. 



each year, and a Missionary Magazine. 

Such is the effect of a true vision of Jesus 
Christ. We think we see Christ sometimes 
when we do not really see Him; at least not 
in His real character as a Saviour. A true vis- 
ion of Jesus Christ as he is revealed in the 
Word of God is to see Him with His pierced 
hand out-stretched, pointing to the unevangel- 
ized, starving millions for whom He died, say- 
ing with eloquent words of tenderness and 
love, "Go, preach the Gospel to them! Give 
ye them to eat." This is truly for God to 
make His glory pass before us. To see Jesus 
Christ thus is to believe in Him and obey Him, 
which means to receive His spirit and the 
verification of His promise to be with us with 
His Almighty power and super-abounding 
blessing. When we consider the great differ- 
ence between the gifts, sacrifices and successes 
of the early disciples and the professed follow- 
ers of Christ to-day, when all Christendom 
only averages forty cents a year per member 



WANDERING m THE WILDERNESS. 69 



for this great world work, are we not warrant- 
ed in the conclusion that there is almost no 
open vision of the crucified Christ to-day? 

Amos R. Wells in a masterly address, calls 
attention to the fact that the average annual 
amount, given by the entire Protestant mem- 
bership, millionaires and all, for foreign mis- 
sions, is only forty cents a member. He says: 

"In the stead of what the martyrs bore through many a 

conflict drear, 
In the stead of homeless wanderings, bitter fightings 
cruel fear, 

Ah the shame! we modern christians give — just forty 
cents a year! 

Forty cents a year to open all the eyes of all the blind! 
Forty cems a year to gather all the lost whom Christ 
would find! 

Forty cents a year to carry hope and joy to all mankind ! 

Worthy followers of the prophets, we who hold our gold 
so dear! 

True descendants of the martyrs, Christ held far and 

coin held near! 
Behold co-workers with the Almighty, with our forty 

cents a year! 

See amid the darkened nations what the signs of 
promise are, 

Fires of love and truth enkindled, burning feebly 
sundered far; 

Here a gleam and there a glimmer of that holy 
Christmas star. 



70 A WORKING CHURCH. 



See the lew, our saints, our heroes, battling bravely 
hand to hand, 

Where the myriad-headed horrors of the pit possess the 
land, 

Striving, one against a million, to obey our Lord's 
command ! 

Mighty is the host infernal, richly stored its ranging 
tents, 

Strong its age-encrusted armor and its fortresses 
immense, 

And to meet that regnant evil we are sending forty 
cents! 

Christians, have you heard the story, how the basest 
man of men 

Flung his foul, accursed silver in abhorrence back 
again? 

Thirty pieces was the purchase of the world's Redeem- 
er, then, 

Now, it's forty cents, in copper, for the Saviour has 
grown cheap. 

Now, to sell our Lord and Master we need only stay 
asleep. 

Now, the accursed Judas money is the money that we 
keep." 



i 

A WONDERFUL WORK RE- 
VIEWED. 



Chaptek IV 



The Secret of Success Reviewed. 

In the August number, 1902. of the ^Mission- 
ary Eeview of the World,' ' is given a very accu> 
rate account of the deliverance of the church 
frum the bondage of debt, and the remarkable 
v>ay by which it was accomplished. It is writ* 
ten by Rev. Jesse Craig Wilson, formally pas* 
tor for eight years of the Union Church, San* 
tiago. Chile. 

By permission of the Editor of the Review* 
the article is printed in full, as a testimony to 
the fact that God is as good as His word. It 
is published with the hope that other churches 
may be led to take God at His word and under^ 
take to obey His latest and greatest command, 
obedience to which conditions His powerful 
Presence with His people, Matt. 28:18-20, 



74 A WORKING CHUECH. 



We have no desire to glorif v the work of man 
or any church. Our aim is simply to give a 
plain yet particular account of God's blessing 
on a church, which, in particular difficulties, 
found its way out of them successfully by fol- 
lowing the Scriptural plan for the propagation 
of the Gospel. America is full of churches of 
all denominations, struggling to maintain even 
an existence, with debts or obligations which 
frighten away new support and stifle all .divine 
enterprise. At the same time, loud calls are 
coming from mission fields in all quarters for 
substantial increase in the supply of men and 
money. We listen to these as in a dream 
while Divine Providence opens the new em- 
pires with teeming millions of dark races seem- 
ingly to make our problem of evangelization 
even more overwhelming. We cannot refuse 
the responsibility. The civilization of our 
own fair land, and the well-being of many oth- 
ers, depend on the prompt and worthy response 
we give to these spiritual demands. The prob- 



THE SECRET OF SUCCESS. 75 



lem of the whole Church is that also of the in- 
dividual congregation. We do not claim that 
we shall have no more difficulties to labor over, 
but we believe that in the experience of the 
Wichita church we have a key to the situa- 
tion—a solution of the whole prqtble m. 
The Special Problem— A Debt of $30,000 
Like individuals, churches have their liabili- 
ty to err in enterprise, especially in a country 
where to-day is a wilderess and to-morrow rinds 
a Minneapolis, St. Paul or Chicago. This seem- 
ed to be the condition at Wichita a few years 
ago. The population was scant. Desperadoes 
made the place their head quarters. What is 
known as the "First Presbyterian Church of 
Wichita" was organized March 13, 1870. with 
13 members and two elders, in a "dug-out." 
The city to-day has a population of over twen- 
ty-five thousand. Ten or twelve years ago 
what is called "the boom" struck Wester u 
Kansas. Wichita felt the impulse. The pop- 
ulation grew enormously. New buildings were 



76 A WORKING CHURCH, 



not large enough for business. Churches were 
cramped for room. Everything seemed too 
small. The First Church feeling this a call of 
God, ventured on enlargement. A new site 
was selected and negotiated for at a cost of 
$20,000. The old site could then have been sold 
for $40,000, but was held for $50,000. Suddenly 
* 'the boom" burst. Property was every- 
where mortgaged for many times its value. 
The people, discouraged and bankrupt, were 
seeking to escape with their lives. The First 
Church suffered severely. Its new site, as well 
as the old, was now practically valueless, and 
yet the church stood pledged to pay $20,000 for 
it. The obligation had to be met. The heavy 
debt, which was increased by other obligations, 
previously binding, to $30,000, rested on the 
church like a pall. Considerable was done to- 
ward reducing the burden by surrendering the 
parsonage property and other real estate, and 
for a time the various departments of church 
work spiritually were sustained. But when 



THE SECRET OF SUCCESS. 77 



all else was gone a debt of $18,000 was still left 
upon the church, with a floating indebtedness 
rising higher and higher each year. Finally 
the church reached a condition financially 
which seemed to paralyze every member and 
make a forward movement absolutely impos- 
sible. 

The Key io the Situation 

About that time the pastorate became va- 
cant, and a call was extended to the Rev. 
Charles Edwin Bradt, of the Second Presbyte- 
rian Church of Lincoln, Nebraska. Mr. Bradt 
accepted the call, and, beginning work, follow- 
ed the policy pursued in Lincoln, namely, that 
of emphasizing the duty of adequate represen- 
tation of the church on the foreign mission 
field. "Into all the world" and "to every crea- 
ture" were the commands of Christ. The 
church must be a "going" church and make a 
business of reaching the ends of the earth with 
the Gospel. The pastor held this to be the 
one condition of the promised presence of 



78 A WORKING CHURCH. 

Christ with Holy Spirit power in any church. 
After a series of sermons along this line, Mr. 
Bradt revealed to some few the convictions of 
his heart, viz., that the church should take the 
support of a foreign missionary pastor, at a 
salary of not less than $600 a year. This was 
much beyond even a liberal offering. Few 
thought it could be done. Difficulties were 
brought forward, chief among them" "the 
debt." But the truth was kept steadily before 
the church that He who said "G-o" had prom- 
ised His presence with Almighty power on the 
condition of obedience. 

After much prayer, it was decided to make 
the proposition to the people. Cards of sub- 
scription were prepared. A special sermon 
was preached. All giving was to be voluntary 
and cheerful. To the astonishment of nearly 
every one, the whole amount needed for the 
support of the ''foreign" pastor was secured. 
Rev. Hunter Corbett, D. D., of Chefoo, China, 
according to arrangement with the Foreign 



THE SECRET OF SUCCESS. 79 



Board, was chosen to be the missionary pastor 
of the church. 

The Church's Goliath Met and Slain. 

The Spirit of the Lord was working among 
the people, At the beginning of the second 
year of Mr. Bradt's pastorate, 1898, the matter 
was consider ed in a Congregational meeting, 
and by a unanimous vote of the congregation 
its missionary enterprise of the first year be- 
came the settled plan and policy of the church. 

The following resolutions were unanimously 
pissed by vote of the congregation, April 3, 
1898: 

Resolved. That we, the members of the First Pres 
byterian Church, of Wichita. Kansas, in regular con- 
gregational meeting assembled, do hereby express our 
desire that this church shall become and be known as 
a missionary church ; that is: 

1st. A church whose chief aim and ambition shall be 
to glorify G-od by the proclamation of the name of the 
Lord to e'-ery creature on earth. 

2d, A church whose organization shall be such as to 
best carry out the great Commission as given by our 
Lord and Savior. 

3d. A church that believes that Jesus Christ meant 



80 A WORKING CHURCH. 



What he said in Matthew xxviii : 18—20, viz: 

(1) That all power was given Him in heaven and in 
earth, 

(2) That all people who become His followers should 
immediately and persistently endeavor to preach and 
to teach His Gospel to all such as know it not. 

(3) That obedience to this command on the part of His 
followers will insure His continued presence and power 
with them unto the end of the world ; and hence will 
guarantee to them success and usefulness, which will 
evidence to the world in an unanswerable manner that 
Jesus Christ is all that he claims to be, the only begot- 
ten Son of God, and the only Savior for lost humanity. 

A new spirit of faith and hope now took pos- 
session of the people. Leading members of the 
church began to feel that the debt, the great 
incubus on the church, would some day be re- 
moved. No one knew how or when it could be^ 
done; but prayers were abundant, and help 
came speedily— all but miraculously. An un- 
usual consciousness of strength took possession 
of the people. A faith that God was present 
to help and that nothing was too hard for the 
Almighty was manifested among the members. 
A chart, called the church's Goliath, was 



THE SECRET OF SUCCESS. 



81 



placed upon the wall confronting the congrega- 
tion. This chart portrayed clearly the total 
bonded debt of the church, with sums written 
upon it representing shares, from $1 up to $500- 
Opportunity was then given the congregation 
to join in slaying the giant that so long had 
terrified the people of God. Subscription 
cards were prepared and placed in the people's 
hands as before. Subscriptions of varying 
amounts followed in rapid succession. As 
these subscriptions were announced corres- 
ponding amounts were canceled on the chart. 
Interest became intense as the congregation 
saw that the giant was actually to be destroy- 
ed. Many heads were bowed in prayer. Tears 
of holy joy were seen to run down the faces of 
many. The Holy Spirit verily seemed to brood 
over the congregation, moving hearts, Him- 
self doing the work which He was enabling 
them to do. In half an hour the whole in- 
debtedness was provided for. A prayer of 
thanksgiving was offered, and the congregation 



m A WORKING CHURCHV 

departed with the conviction that the presence 
of Christy with His almighty power had really 
been manifested, according to His promises 
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, 
AH power is given unto me in heaven and in 
earth, Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and 
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching 
them to observe all things whatsoever I have 
commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, 
even unto the end of the world. Amen. " 
What One Church Can Do in the Foreign 
Field. 

With the clearing of the debt, interest in 
foreign missions went forward with leaps and 
bounds. The hand of God' had been manifest. 
The lifting of the debt was His seal upon the 
church's consecration to the foreign mission- 
ary enterprise. Faith was rising. Societies 
and individnals now seemed to vie with one 
another in the undertaking to support native 
helpers and native pastors in the foreign field, 



THE SECRET OF SUCCESS. 83 



under the supervision of Dr. Corbett. In two 
years after the first step was taken, some twen- 
ty of these helpers had been thus assigned, and 
were supported at an annual expense of from 
830 to $60 each. This number was increased 
the next year to thirty. Monthly letters re* 
ceived from Dr, Corbett, the foreign pastor, 
and printed in the Missionary Messenger, the 
home church organ, kept the church, the so* 
cieties, and all who were interested informed 
of the conditions on the foreign field, and in 
almost personal touch with the workers. 

At the beginning of the third year, 1899, the 
Woman's Missionary Society of the church 
came forward with $500 for the support of Mrs, 
Corbett. That same year, October, 1899, the 
Young Peoples' Missionary Society of the 
church, in response to an appeal from the 
Chefoo station for a lady medical missionary, 
assured the Board of Foreign Missions that if 
they would commission such a missionary the 
Society would guarantee her support. The 



A WORKING CHURCH, 



Board thereupon commissioned Miss Effie B. 
Cooper, M, D , at a salary of $500, who was im- 
mediately sent to the field as the third Ameri- 
can foreign missionary supported by this 
church. 

Recently came an appeal from the same mis- 
sion, through the church, to the Board, asking 
for the appointment of a lady evangelist to 
accompany Dr. Cooper and assist in caring for 
the large number of inquirers called out by her 
medical services. Tbe Board has appointed 
Miss Louise Vaughan, and the church has as- 
sumed her salary of $500 per annum. 

In addition to this, a group of members have 
become responsible for the support of an out- 
station under Dr. Corbett, called "Ruth Mis- 
sion/' which employs five native pastors. 

The church has also furnished the mission 
station at Chefoo with a normal school build- 
ing, at a cost of $2,500, and with other con- 
veniences in the way of real property. The 
total amount contributed by the church to 



THE SECRET OF SUCCESS. 85 



foreign missions in the last seven years is 
about $15,000. 

Does the Home Work Suffer.? 

The question naturally arises, Does the home 
work fare badly by bending so much of thought 
and effort to the foreign field? Is there not 
danger of "going to seed" on foreign missions? 
The facts are quite to the contrary. The same 
argument might have been used by the apos- 
tles when the Lord said, ' (xo into all the world 
and preach the Gospel to every creature." 
"Lord, will not the Jerusalem work suffer by so 
doing?" Vital interest in the foreign work 
always enkindles the home flame. This is true 
in the experience of the Wichita church. 

The payment of the indebtedness was itself a 
strong home effort, due in large measure to the 
quickening of home interest by the foreign 
work. A debt which cannot be lifted is to be 
dreaded. It discourages; it blunts the sense of 
duty. If over-heavy it is apt to suggest "sha- 
dy" ideas as to real obligations to pay. It may 



86 A WORKING CHURCH. 



lead to undue delay, and possibly to thoughts 
of repudiation. Thus a church in such a con- 
dition cannot be in right relation with the 
Divine Master, to whom has been given "all- 
power in heaven and in earth/' The lifting of 
such a burden, therefore, if it exists, must be 
a "home" work and blessing of high order. 

The money offering of the Wichita church 
to the Board of home missions shows that such 
foreign work is the life of the home. The an- 
nual offering of this church to the cause of 
home mission in 1897, before special interest 
was aroused in foreign work, was about $300. 
In 1898, after one year of special work, the 
offering arose to the amount of $511. In 1899 
the amount given was $775; in 1900, it was $955; 
in 1901, it was $1,484; in 1902, it was $2,013. 

But this is not all. In April, 1900, under the 
auspices of one of the Endeavor societies of the 
church, a lady city missionary for Wichita was 
put in the field, at a salary of $300, and has 
been enthusiastically supported ever since. 



THE SECRET OF SUCCESS. 



The following minute passed by the society at 
that time will show the spirit that controlled: 

Realizing that there is abroad field, white for the 
harvest, lying all about us here in our own city, ami 
tli at the laborers are now too few to gather the pre- 
cious fruit unto life eternal before it perishes, and that 
Christ's command is to preach the Gospel to every 
creature, we, the Young Peoples' Society of Christian 
Kndeavor No, 1, of the First Presbyterian Church of 
Wichita. Kansas, undertake the support of a city mis- 
sionary as our representative in this great work. 

In the same spirit the church has added to 
its ministerial force on the local field Rev 
Edwin Hurler as pastoral assistant, with a 
good living salary: also a minister of music, 
Rev. J. H. MacConnell. and other assistants. 

In other ways increased interest and activity 
in home work has been manifested by reason 
of the foreign enterprise. An Evangelist Band 
and Personal Workers' Class has been organ- 
ized and conducted by the pastor. A part of 
the work of this class is to go out weekly and 
gather in people from the streets to an evangel- 
istic week-day service. Members of the church 



88 A WORKING CHURCH. 



and Men's Club go out on the streets and into 
the saloons and gambling-places of the city, 
and by loving persuasion "compel" large num- 
bers to come into God's house. It is the work- 
ing belief and theory of the pastor that any 
given community can be taken for God if only 
due effort and prayer are put forth. The peo- 
ple of the First Church, in response, are rous- 
ing themselves to meet this ideal. During the 
past seven years over eight hundred persons 
have united with the church. 

In addition to all this, the First Church is 
regularly supporting in Wichita what is known 
as Lincoln Street Presbyterian Mission, where 
a Sunday-school is maintained and regular 
preaching services twice each Sabbath ; also 
two Christian Endeavor societies, a boy's club 
organization, and a mid-week prayer-meeting. 
Another Sabbath-school and preaching-place 
is conducted by one of the members four miles 
in the country. Funds are also contributed to 
maintain a Sabbath-school in Pike County, 



THE SECRET OF SUCCESS. 



89 



Kentucky, The total amount contributed for 
home missions during the past seven years is t he- 
same as that contributed to foreign missions/ 
or about $15,000. As a last step in the direct- 
ion of home enthusiasm, the church has voted 
its pastor a limited leave of absence each year, 
that he may assist his brethren of the home 
field in Evangelistic and other work, as the 
Lord may direct. 

Much more might be said by way of detail. 
Much more remains to be done in giving 
strength and stability to what has already been 
started. But have we not here enough data to 
indicate the normal way in which Divine bless* 
ing may come to the individual church or be- 
liever? And may there not be here more than 
a suggestion for the solution of the missionary 
problem of the whole church? 



The Missionary Method. 



Chapter V 



The Missionary Method. 

We are often asked. u IIow are the people in- 
duced to give so liberally and do so much for 
missions?" The answer is, we employ the 
scriptural method of arousing God's people to 
their duty along this line. What is that meth- 
od? It is the Specific Object Method which 
sets before the people their whole duty in a 
definite and concrete manner. 

"The story is told of a gentleman who saw an 
old man, diseased and worn and literally cloth- 
ed in rags, who sat by the wayside, begging— 
an object of pity; yet he never uttered a word, 
but simply sat there. The gentleman was 
struck by his abject misery, but as no appeal 
was made he passed on. Yet, haunted by the 



THE MISSIONARY METHOD. 93 



man's woebegone appearance, he came back and 
said: 'Are you in want?' And the old man 
replied: 'Oh, sir! I am sick and cold and hun- 
gry. ' 'Then.' said the gentleman, 'why 
don't you begr" And the old man, stretching 
out his worn, wasted hands and looking at his 
rag-covered body, said: 'Sir. I am begging with 
a thousand tongues.' His misery was begging 
more eloquently than words." 

' All's yours and you. 
Ail colored with your blood, or otherwise 
Just nothing to you. Why. I call you hard 
To general suffering. 

You weep for what you know. A red-haired child 
Sick in a fever, if you touch him once. 
Will set you weeping: but a million sick— 
Ton could as soon weep for the rule of three." 

^Ye read that when Paul saw the man of 
Macedonia and heard his voice he assuredly 
gathered that the Lord had called him to go 
over into Macedonia and preach the gospel 
there. So, with the people of the First Pres- 
byterian church of Wichita. 

A church building was needed at Harmony. 



94 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



a community seven miles in the country. The 
need was definitely put before the church; they 
saw and gave. 

A church building- and pastor were needed at 
Oak Street, an eastern suburb of our city. 
The pastor placed the need definitely and con- 
cretely before the church. The building was 
erected and a pastor supported in the field. 

The West Side suburb appeared before the 
congregation with the cry. Come over and help 
us. The people assuredly gathered that the 
Lord had called them and went to the rescue. 

Burton, a northern suburb of this city, 
stretched forth her hands imploringly, and the 
Burton Mission was organized and equipped 
with a building and workers by the aid of the 
First Church. 

The Lincoln street field, lying in the south* 
ern part of the city, became white for the har- 
vest; the church lifted up her eyes and looked 
on the field. Result? The church not only 
prayed the Lord of the harvest to send forth la- 



THE MISSIONARY METHOD. 95 

borers into this field, but said, 4, Heream I, 
Lord, send me." 

Dr. Hunter Corbett, of Chefoo, China, ap- 
pears before the church and makes known the 
need of that station for a Normal School build- 
ing. It will cost $2, 500. The church realizes 
the need and places the money in his hands. 

The responsibility of the church for the evan- 
gelization of the heathen world is laid upon 
the hearts and consciences of each individual 
member. There are in round numbers one 
thousand million heathen in the world. Of 
this number, it is said, 160,000,000 fall to the 
Presbyterian denomination as her share of the 
heathen world for evangelization in this gene- 
ration. If this is true, each member of the 
Presbyterian Church has an average responsi- 
bility for the preaching of the gospel to 160 
heathen. That means that the First Presby- 
terian Church, of Wichita, Kansas, is respon- 
sible for preaching the gospel to 160,000 hea- 
then in her generation. She sees these people, 



96 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



portrayed by the pastor, gathered in and a- 
round Chefoo, China. They are starving for 
the bread and water of life. She hears thq 
cry, "Help! Help" ringing in her ears. She 
looks upon them in their sickness and sin and 
sorrow. She cannot pass by on the other side. 
She must go to the rescue. But how? Rev. 
Hunter Corbett, D. D., is proposed as her for- 
eign pastor, salary $600 per annum. He is ac- 
cepted. But this is not enough. Mrs. Corbett 
is offered as an assistant, salary $500. She, too, 
is accepted. But these cannot do all the work 
required. A physician is needed. The church 
is offered Miss Effie B. Cooper, M. D. as a med- 
ical missionary at Chefoo. She is promptly 
accepted at a salary of $500 per annum. But 
this force is not yet adequate to reach the 
masses, for whom the church is responsible be- 
fore God. A lady evangelist is needed to ac- 
company Dr. Cooper in her work to preach the 
gospel to the multitudes that wait upon her. 
Miss Louise Vaughan is offered, if the church 



THE MISSIONARY METHOD. 97 



wUl accept her, at a salary of $500. This the 
church cannot resist doing, seeing the case is 
so clearly one of neerl. She is added to our 
force. 

The Normal School at Chefoo is turning out 
each year native pastors and preachers, who 
are greatly needed as evangelists, but whose 
support must he looked after. Twenty -five or 
thirty of these are offered to individuals of the 
church at salaries ranging from $30 to $60 per 
annum. These are promptly taken and set to 
work Thus the work grows apace. The 
Woman's Missionary Society assumes the sup- 
port of Mrs. Corbet t. The Young People's 
Missionary Societv is responsible for the sala- 
ries of Dr. Cooper and Miss Vaughan. The 
church congregation is responsible for Dr. Cor- 
bett's salary, encourages and superintends the 
individual support of native pastors, Bible 
women, scholarships, teachers' salaries, etc. 
The following scheme shows the annual sub- 
scriptions to this work in the congregation for 



98 A WORKING CHURCH. 



1902, and illustrates the method employed, 

American Foreign Missionaries. 

Hunter Oorbett, D. D., - - $600. 
Mrs. Hunter Corbett, Teacher - 400. 
Miss Effie B. Cooper, M. D., - ftOO. 
Miss Louisa Vaughan, Evangelist, 500. 

• $2,000 

Native Foreign Missionaries. 



SUPPORTED BY 


NUMBER 


8^ 


Jesse Minnick 


One 


Sao. 


E. Hlgginson, 


One 


60. 


H. W. Lewis, 


One 


60. 


M. L. Garver, 


Two 


60. 


G R. Fultz, 


One 


60. 


R. B. Lawrence, 


One 


30. 


H. O. McClung & wife 


One 


to. 


M rs Ruth Lee & daughte 


r, One 


3G. 


Dr. Jeffry Martin and wi fe, One 


30. 


Judge Little and Family, One 


30. 


G. E. Lehmann 


One 


40. 


Mr. MacConnelTs Class, 


One 


38. 


C E. No 1. 


One 


40. 


C. E. No. 2. 


One 


30. 


Lincoln St. Mission, 


Three 


90. 


Ruth Mission, 


Three 


120. 



Total 



21 



$778 



THE MISSIONARY METHOD. 



99 



Scholarships, 



E. Eugene Balling China *12. 

E. Higginson China 40. 

R. E Lawrence China 15. 

Mrs. J. H. Stewart Mary Holmes Sem. 26. 

Woman's Miss. Society Scotia Sem. 76. 

S. S. Primary Dept. China 6. 

S, S. Primary Dept. Dr. Humble's work 10. 

Others China 30. 

Total |213 

Miscellaneous. 

C. E. No L, Share in Partch, China $36. 
O. E. No. 1.. City Missionary Miss Drake 300, 

Young People's Missionary Society 200. 

Woman's Missionary Society 200. 

Building Church Chefoo, China 15f. 

Lincoln Street Mission COO. 

Dr. Humble's Work, Ky. 40. 

Home Missions Unspecified Above 1,000. 



Total - $2,616 



Grand total for Missions, 1902 



$5,506. 



100 A WORKING CHURCH. 



But back of this objective method is the sub- 
jective method, viz. Prayer. 

If the Kingdom of God is to come in this 
world it will come in answer to prayer. If the 
people of God want His Kingdom established 
in the earth they may have it for the asking. 

God Himself says, "Ask of me and I will 
give thee the heathen for thine inheritance 
and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy 
possession. ' ' Jesus taught H is d isciples to pray 
two prayers. One, which is commonly called 
the Lord's Prayer, has as its tirst petition, 
"Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth 
as it is in heaven." The other is not com- 
monly known or obeyed, but it, likewise, per- 
tains to the coming of the Kingdom of God in 
the earth. It is, "Lord of the harvest, send 
forth laborers into the harvest." 

Neither of these prayers will be offered by 
God's people until they realize that the King- 
dom of God has not come, and that they must 
seek it first over all things else, if it is ever to 



THE MISSIONARY METHOD. 101 

cone: until they realize that the harvest truly 
is great but the laborers are few. But when 
they realize these things and set about to pray 
these prayers they will just as surely be an- 
swered as there is a God in heaven and a Lord 
of the harvest. 

Seven years ago these prayers began to be 
offered in the First Presbyterian Church of 
Wichita. Kansas, as if from crushed hearts. 
Almost immediately, while we were yet speak- 
ing, the answer began coming. In less time 
than Marconi had to wait for his signal after 
he was ready t<> receive it- did God's people 
have to wait for God to reply after they were 
ready to hear. 

First God enabled them to support on the 
Foreign field. Dr. Hunter Corbett: and then 
Mis. Corbett: and then a score or more of Na- 
tive pastors and teachers. 

Then He sent out through them, and at 
their request. Dr. Ettie B. Cooper. Then, 
taking God at His word, trusting simply to 



102 A WORKING CHURCH. , 

His prDmise to furnish the needed means, 
they assumed the support of Miss Louise 
Vaughan of Chefoo. China, at a salary of $500 
per annum, which support God is supplying 
in answer to prayer. 

To illustrate the place which prayer and 
faith occupy in the support of missionaries, a 
history of how the First Presby terian Church 
of Wichita took the support of Dr. Cooper and 
Miss Vaughan is of interest:— 

Three years ago an appeal came to the pastor 
of the First Presbyterian Church of Wichita, 
from the Chefoo, China Mission station asking 
for the support of a Medical Missionary to be 
sent out by the Board of Foreign Missions to 
that station, to work among the millions of 
that part of China as a Christian physician. 
About the same time word came from the Board 
at New York that if the above church would 
assume the spport of such a missionary for a 
period of five years at a salary of $500 a year, 
they had a young lady physician, Miss Eflie B. 
Cooper, to commission. "Wire answer imme 



THE MISSIONARY METHOD, 103 



d lately as the Board will meet on the following 
Monday to take action." When this last mes* 
sage came to the pastor he and his wife were 
in Oakland, California. As the time was short 
and as they had no opportunity to consult with 
any member of the church, they took the mat- 
ter to God in prayer. The answer came quick- 
ly. Relying upon God in heaven, andapra)-- 
ing, believing church at home, they dispatched 
word to the Board t<« commission Dr. Cooper 
and expect her support to be forth-coming from 
our church. Immediately the Young People's 
Missionary Society assumed the responsibility, 
under God, of the enterprise, and it has been 
magnificently sustained by Him through them 
ever since. 

In January, 1902, a like appeal came to 
the church for the support of Miss Louise 
Vaughan, as a missionary evangelist to ac- 
company Dr. Cooper, in her work and preach 
the Gospel to the multitudes which were 
being reached through the medical agencies 



104 



A YVORKLNG CHURCH. 



and other ways. This appeal was so manifestly 
a call of God to enter a wide open door for the 
salvation of multitudes of lost men and women 
that the Young People's Missionary Society, 
above refered to, felt confident that God would 
hear their prayers and reward their faith if 
they would take Him at His word and under- 
take this enterprise also. H ence although they 
did not know, and do not know now. where the 
money will come from, they said to the Board 
at New York, trusting God to open the way, 
Commission Miss Louise Vaughan, and expect 
her salary of $500 a year to be paid through us. 
The first nine months of the year have come and 
gone and in answer to prayer the money requir- 
ed for that period of time, viz. $375 has come into 
the hands of our Treasurer, Mr. C. J. McKenzie, 
and been promptly forwarded by him to the 
Board at New York. We present this method 
of sustaining missionaries for your considera- 
tion, and prayers for their support and encour- 
agement. 



THE MISSIONARY METHOD. 105 



So much for the Foreign field. But equally 
as large and remarkable answers to prayer have 
been vouchsafed with respect to the work of 
establishing the Kingdom of G-od on the Home 
field, 

Jesus Christ promises to equip that church 
with power which will seek first the Kingdom 
of God and undertake to preach the Gospel to 
every creature. In answer to the honest, ear* 
nest prayer for God's Kingdom to come God 
has brought the above named church to a 
position where it is not only supporting these 
workers on the Foreign field, and a pastor, 
and assistant pastor, a city missionary, a min- 
ister of music, orfice assistants and much 
other work, but where it realizes that at least 
two additional workers must be supplied, viz.. 
a secretary for men and another city mission- 
ary. Both of these laborers the church is now 
praying that God will supply. The harvest 
truly is great but the laborers are few. But 
we are confident God will furnish the men as 



106 A WORKING CHURCH. 



well as the money if we ask Him. We are 
asking, and we expect to be able to report very 
soon two new specialists added to our force of 
efficient workers. 

This method is not only ideal for adults, it 
is just as ideal and practical for children. 

To become interested in, and to learn the 
science of Botany one must, have set before him 
some single plant or flower for study and analy- 
sis. From this definite and concrete study, love 
for and knowledge of Botany is developed. 

Just so may be developed in the minds of 
boys and girls , as well as adults interest and 
intelligence in missions. 

Every Sunday School primary department in 
the land could set before its members some 
definite concrete work and should do so. It is 
of immense importance that the children be - 
instructed in this great world work. The fol- 
lowing quotation is to the point:— 

"A clergyman on his way to a missionary 
meeting overtook a boy and asked him about 



THE MISSIONARY METHOD. 107 



the road and where he was going, 'O' he said, 
i*I cm going to the meeting to hear about the 
missionaries.' 'Missionaries!' said the min- 
ister. ' What do you know about missionaries?' 
'Why', said the boy, 'I'm part of the concern. 
I've got a missionary box, and I always go to 
the missionary meeting. I belong,' Every 
child should feel that he is 'part of the con- 
cern,' and that his work is just as important as 
that of any one else. Linen-pins are very little 
things, but if they drop out, the wagon is likely 
to come to a standstill. Every pin and screw 
should be in working order, and every child 
should be able to say, 'I always go to the 
missionary meeting. Why, I'm a part of the 
concern!" 

But no machinery will move itself. Not even 
the prayer and faith mechanism mentioned 
previously in these pages, will operate apart 
from a praying, believing soul who works to 
answer his own prayers and proves thereby 
that his faith is not dead. This does not mean 



m A WOKKIKG CHURCH, 



that prayer has only a reflex influence, nor that* 
faith accomplishes nu more than the strength 
of man's hand* But to pray for God's Kingdom 
to come means to work with every fiber of our 
being and every force at our command to bring 
that Kingdom to pass. To have faith as a 
grain of mustard seed means to work with 
might and main to move into the sea ever? 
mountain of hindrance to the coming of Christ's 
Kingdom* Any method that looks to getting 
the Gospel preached to unevangelized millions 
of this world is better than no method. But 
no method however ideal it may look to be will 
get itself in motion and move the masses into 
the Kingdom of God. We must "do with our 
might what our hands find to do," before we 
can successfully pray, "Establish thou the 
work of our hands, yea the work of our hands 
establish thou it." But given a willing heart to 
do, and the means and method to do with, 
there is sometimes needed a little detailed 
instruction on just how to go about to use the 
means and operate the method. 



THE MISSIONARY METHOD. 109 



We have abundant means in any church to 
do ten times the amount of work to win the 
world to Christ that is being done. However, 
the first thing the devil will say to any one 
undertaking to increase their church work 
along this line will be. "You cannot afford to 
do it. ' ? This will probably come through the 
lips of some officer of the church and hence he 
will put it in the first person plural number. 
i, TVe cannot afford to do it. " The devil knows 
how to use even the lips of the saints of God to 
appose the progress cf the Kingdom of God. 
The only thing to do is to treat such a state- 
ment as a lie of the devil, not charging it up 
too strongly against the one whom he uses to 
tell it for him. but quoting John YI : 5-13. 
which reads: "Jesus therefore lifting up his 
eyes, and seeing that a great multitude cometh 
unto him, saith unto Philip, whence are we to 
buy bread, that these may eat? And this he 
said to prove him: for he himself knew what 
he would do. Philip answered him. Two bun- 



110 A WORKING CHURCH, 



dred shillings' worth of bread is not sufficient 
for them that every one may take a little. 
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's 
brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, 
who hath five barley loaves, and two fishes: 
but what are these among so many? Jesus 
said, Make the people sit down. Now there 
was much grass in the place. So the men sat 
down in number about five thousand. Jesus 
therefore took the loaves: and having given 
thanks, he distributed to them that were set 
down; likewise also of the fishes as much as they 
would. And when they were filled he said 
unto his disciples, Gather up the broken pieces 
which remain over, that nothing be lost. So 
they gathered them up, and filled twelve 
baskets with broken pieces from the five bar- 
ley loaves, which remained over unto them 
that had eaten." R. V. 

In adopting the specific object method of 
doing missionary work there are certain pre- 
liminary steps necessary. To some minds 



THE MISSIONARY METHOD. Ill 



these steps will be apparent without any sug- 
gestions from the outside. Yet so many letters 
have come to me asking, 4< Just how do you go 
about it?" that it seems necessary to go a little 
more into detail and give as nearly as possible 
every link in the chain. I write this particu- 
larly for instruction to pastors, or organization 
leaders in church work, such as Elders, Presi* 
dents of Missionary and Young People's Socie- 
ties, Bible School superintendents and Secre- 
taries of Associations. 

First. Have a deep seated conviction in your 
own soul that the support of one or more Amer- 
ican Missionaries on the Foreign Field is the 
work your church or society ought to under- 
take. This conviction is born of the study of 
God's word. Take such passages of Scripture 
as these: 

"And Jesus came to them and spake unto 
them, saying, All authority hath been given 
unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye there- 
fore and make disciples of all nations, baptiz- 



112 A WORKING CHURCH. 



ing them into the name of the Father and of 
the Son and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them 
to obgerve all things whatsoever I commanded 
you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto 
the end of the world." Matt. XXVIII : 18-20. 

" Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt 
have lost its savor wherewith shall it be salted: 
it is good for nothing but to be cast out and 
trodden under foot of man." Matt. V : 13. 

"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself .' ' 
Matt. X : 31. "Who is my neighbor?" Ans- 
wer: Luke X : 29-37. 

Read these Scriptures in the light of God's 
Providential revelations. One thousand mil- 
lion heathen are crying by their needs, "Come 
over and help us!" The church is rich and in- 
creased in goods and has need of nothing. She 
has come to the Kingdom for such a time as 
this. 

Second. Resolve to do this work or die in 
the attempt. Make up your mind to take 
Christ at his word, and show your determina- 



A WORKING CHURCH. 113 

tion by making a subscription to the fund that 
will convince yourself and every body else that 
your heart is really in it, and that you are not 
afraid to walk by faith. I know one such lead" 
er who agreed with his wife to live in a little 
cottage at half the rental of the house then oc- 
cupied in order to make $100 subscription to 
such a fund. 

Third. Present the needs and commands of 
Christ clearly to those over whom you are ap- 
pointed as leader. Be as definite and concrete 
in your presentation as possible. Twenty-live 
people giving $25 each can support a missionary 
in China. One person receiving $1000 a year 
salary should pay into the Lord's treasury at 
least $100 annually, for the tithe is the Lord's. 

I hold constantly before my people the script- 
ural idea of stewardship, namely that all we 
have is intrusted of God to be used for the ex- 
tension of His Kingdom and the salvation of 
man through the preaching and teaching of 
Jesus Christ; that however poor, they should 



114 THE MISSIONARY METHOD. 

pay into the Lord's treasury not less than a 
tenth of their income; this tenth to go to dis- 
tinctively christian lines of work; that the 
tenth is only the beginning of what most peo- 
ple should contribute. To call out this tenth 
and much more, 1 am constantly pointing them 
to Lazarus lying at our gates full of sores, 
starving to death, pitiful enough to move the 
hearts even of dogs, making it plain that un- 
less we are simply Pharisaical, we will*take of 
our abundance, yea, even from bur necessities 
and feed the heathen Lazarus with the Bread 
of Heaven, and cloth him in the robe of Christ's 
righteousness; for if he dies he will go to hell, and 
we will go with him, unless we discharge aright 
our stewardship and do what we can to save 
him. I do not simply preach one sermon on 
this, 1 preach it very often and make the 
truth appeal all along the line, and God honors 
it. To preach the duty of stewardship from a 
scriptural point of view and fail to set before 
the people the providential claims of exercis- 



A WORKING CHURCH. 115 



ing it is to fail in getting a response. To 
preach the providential claims of God upon our 
members without preaching the scriptural de- 
mands is also to fail, but to join these together 
is to succeed. 

Fourth. Get the officers together immedi- 
ately after such presentation and ask them if 
they think you have spoken the truth; if so, 
what is to be done about it? Continue instant 
in prayer with them and privately. In all 
probability they will be willing to have such a 
definite enterprise presented to the church and 
will authorize you to select through the Board 
of Foreign Missions a good person as your for- 
eign missionary representative. 

Fifth. When this is done, quietly and pri- 
vately get the subscriptions, upon paper, of 
those whose hearts the Lord has touched and 
who have shown a willingness to subscribe lib- 
erally and in a self-denying manner. Let this 
move be for large amounts, . or at least for 
amounts that represent sacrifice. Keep this 



116 THE MISSIONARY METHOD. 



work quiet, confined to the knowledge of those 
who are subscribers, and ask them to be con- 
stantly in prayer. 

Sixth. Have blank cards printed with the 
name and location of your prospective mission- 
ary upon them. The following form was used 
by me in presenting the matter to the First 
Presbyterian Church of Wichita, Kansas, and 
I have used it many times elsewhere with like 
satisfactory results:— 

Heartily believing in the great cause of For- 
eign Missions, I desire to make a self-denial 
offering to the Lord of $. , .. . . . for the support 
of Hunter Corbett, Chefoo, China, as foreign 
missionary pastor of the First Presbyterian 
Church, of Wichita, Kansas, for the year 
beginning Jan. 1st, 1897, 

Name..., — • 

Address 

With the above steps taken, go before the 
people assembled in general congregation, well 
prepared in thought and heart, and present 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



117 



this definite enterprise in the best manner 
possible. At the close of this presentation 
distribute the cards for general subscription, 
and when they are collected you will probably 
have the full amount; if not, a little work on 
the side will secure it. 

Seventh. Deal with all objections kindly, 
l)ut do not let them swerve you from your pur- 
pose. Do not allow the work to interfere with 
any other missionary w T ork in hand. Show 
how it will not hinder but help such work. 
Show the church and officers that it will be to 
their advantage in every way to obey the Lord 
in this matter. It will take a little time to 
prove this to some of them, but time will do it. 
Josh. 1 : 7-9. 



THE FACULTY. 



Chapter VI 
The Faculty. 

Not many churches are organized for work, 
even theoretically. Th.vy are all theoretically 
organized for worship. This is good so far as 
it goes, Worship is certainly the one necessity 
in church organization: it is the indispensable 
to all church success and life. Without wor- 
ship there cannot be a true church. But it is 
possible for a church to have the form of wor- 
ship without the spirit. Such "worship" is 
an abomination unto the Lord. To such God 
says: "When you corne to appear before me 
who hath required this at your handf f to tread 
my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; 
incense is an abomination unto me; the new 
moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies 



THE FACULTY. 



121 



I cannot away with, it is iniquity, even the 
solemn meeting. Your new moons and your 
appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a 
trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. 
And when you spread forth your hands, I will 
hide mine eyes from you, yea when you make 
many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are 
full of blood." Is. 1:12-15. 

Yet we are commanded to "worship God," to 
"forsake not the assembling of ourselves to- 
gether" for this purpose; to "enter into His 
gates with thanksgiving and into His courts 
with praise." 

The fact is, however, true, genuine, spiritual 
worship inevitably leads to work; and honest, 
earnest work for Christ induces to spiritual 
worship-. "His servants shall serve Him and 
they shall see His face." 

A fully equipped working church must be 
organized after the fashion of a fully equipped 
college. To begin with, it must have a faculty 
composed of specialists for each department. 



122 A WORKING CHURCH. 



This is according to the pattern shown us in 
the mount. ''Wherefore he said, When he 
ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and 
gave gifts unto men. And he gave some to be 
apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evan- 
gelists, and some, pastors and teachers; for 
the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of 
ministering, unto the building up of the body 
of Christ: till we all attain unto the unity of 
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, 
unto a full grown man, unto the measure of the 
stature of the fulness of Christ; that we may 
be no longer children, tossed to and fro and 
carried about with every wind of doctrine, by 
the sleighfc of men, in craftiness, after the 
wiles of error; but speaking truth in love, may 
grow up in all things into him, who is the 
head, even Christ; from whom all the body 
fitly framed and knit together through that 
which every joint supplieth, according to the 
working in due measure of each several part, 
maketh the increase of the body unto the 



THE FACULTY. 



123 



building up of itself in love. " Epb. 8:11-16. 

Again we read; "And God hath set some in 
the church, first apostles, secondly prophets, 
thirdly teachers, then miracles, then gifts of 
healings, helps, governments, divers kinds of 
tongues. Are all apostles'? are all prophets? 
are all teachers'? are all workers of miracles? 
have all gifts of healings? do all speak with 
tongues'? do all interpret?" 1 Cor. 12 : 28-30. 

First. This means that the first chair to be 
filled, and certainly the chair of first import- 
ance in a church faculty is the Apostolic chair. 
By chair I mean the head of a department in 
church work. Paul says. "God has set some 
in the church, first apostles.'' The word apos- 
tle means, "sent, forth/' An apostle is a 
foreign missionary: one who is sent forth to 
preach Christ where Christ has not been known. 
This was the work of all the early apostles. 
They were "sent ones," sent out to do founda- 
tion work and preach the Gospel to the unevan- 
gelized. This is the work of all true apostolic 



124 A WORKING CHURCH. 



successors: they are foreign missionaries. And 
this is the first office to he filled in supplying a 
church of Christ with a suitable scriptural 
faculty. Before there can he a church there 
must he an apostle, a sent one, to found that 
church. When that church is founded and 
begins to organize itself to become a working 
force in the world to do the work for which it 
is organized, the first member of the faculty of 
that working force should be an apostle, one 
sent forth by the church to found other 
churches that the Kingdom of God may be 
established in the earth, and built upon the 
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself, 
the first great apostle, being the chief corner 
stone. 

This is exactly what the church at Antioch 
did after it was organized by the apostles Paul 
and Barnabas. We read: "And as they min- 
istered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy 
Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for 
the work whereunto I have called them. 



THE FACULTY. 



125 



Then when they had fasted and prayed and 
laid their hands on them, they sent them 
away. " Acts 13 : 2-3. 

This is the same spirit that led the First 
Presbyterian Church of Wichita to send forth 
a foreign Missionary when it was burdened 
with debt seemingly beyond its ability to pay, 
and worshiping in a house which it could not 
rightfully call its own. Then it- recognized 
the divine order of service, and set about to 
establish in its faculty of workers, an Apostolic 
chair, and chose as the head of this depart 
ment Rev. Hunter Corbett, D. D. This has 
been one secret of our success. Christ promises 
His presence and blessing on condition of obe- 
dience to this injunction. Most churches per- 
sist in ignoring this first step to success and 
then bewail their barrenness. They are like 
the man who killed his father and then begged 
the court to have mercy on him because he was 
an orphan. 

Second. The next chair to be filled in the 



126 A WORKING CHURCH. 



faculty of a working church according to the 
scriptural specification is that of Prophecy. 

The prophet is the preacher; and there are 
few churches that do not theoretically recog- 
nize the importance of this chair. The great 
trouble is, however, few churches appreciate 
just what the preacher's place is. Undoubtedly 
according to Scripture, his is the highest place 
on the local church field. He is after the 
apostle. But the apostle is not in immediate 
relation to the church as the prophet is. God 
hath set in the church, first apostles, second- 
arily prophets. What is the prophet's work? 
It corresponds to the position of the President 
in a college faculty. But his work is far more 
important even than that. In the "Forum" 
of July, 1893, Dr. Lyman Abbott discussed the 
preacher's work. 1 will quote a single sen- 
tence. He says: "The distinctive function of 
the ministry, i. e. the preacher, i& to inspire 
spiritual life, that life out of which all other 
life— both individual and social— grows, and by 



THE FACULTY. 



127 



which it is directed and controlled, the life of 
faith which looks upon the things that are 
unseen and eternal." 

This is the function of the preacher. To 
perform this function calls for days and nights 
spent upon the mountain apart with God and 
His word, that he may be possessed of true and 
divine ideas and ideals by which to direct the 
church in each of its departments. This does 
not mean to become i; a dried up, fossilized, 
middle-century theologian," but it does mean 
to be possessed of the spirit and power in kind, 
of a Moses, an Elijah, an Isaiah, a Jeremiah, a 
John the Baptist, a Paul, a Chrysostom, a 
Savonarola, a Luther, a John Knox, a Guthrie, 
a Chalmers, a Beecher, a Spurgeon, a Talmage. 

This office no preacher can fill if he is expected 
to be ,; the general moral and political utility 
man of the community, spreading himself over 
so much territory as to make him decidedly 
transparent in many sections," which, as some 
one has suggested, "is a polite way of saying 



128 A WORDING CHUECH. 



pretty thin in spots." This means to put out 
the fires in the furnace of the church's spirit- 
ual life, and break the heavenly current of 
spiritual power. 

"If chosen men can never be alone 

In deep mid-silence, open-doored to God, 

No greatness ever will be dreamed or done!" 

Where the church of modern times errs is 
in expecting that the prophet or preacher will 
be able to fill the prophet's office and do every 
thing else beside. He must be preacher, pastor, 
teacher, evangelist and the demonstrator and 
manipulator of every social, political, intellect- 
ual, scientific, artistic reform cart that pulls 
into his parish* The result is we are losing 
the immense power that resides in the por- 
trayal and presentation of high, divine, script- 
ural, spiritual ideas, and ideals. Where there 
is no vision the people perish; and how can 
there be a vision without a seer; and how can 
there be a seer without giving the prophet the 
opportunity to look not only at the things 
which are seen, which are temporal, but also at 



THE FACULTY. 



the things that are not seen, which are eternal? 
God in organizing his church as a working force 
has made provision to convey to the people His 
inspiring, transforming, propelling, directing 
truths. He has done this by establishing the 
prophetic office. But if we are to maintain 
this office and have a working church we must 
not be oblivious nor indifferent to the fact that 
God has appointed other offices to be filled, 
which if tilled will leave the prophetic office 
free to discharge its proper function, viz.. to 
perceive and receive God's ideas, and ideals, to 
convey them to the church, to encourage their 
acceptance, and to direct in their execution. 

He is the watchman upon the walls of Zion. 
He must be all and much more than the hymn 
we are accustomed to sing suggests:— 

" Watchman, tell us of the night. 
What its signs of promise are; 
Traveller, o'er you mountain's height. 
See that glory beaming star! 
Watchman, doth its beauteous ray 
Aught of joy or hope fortell? 
Traveller, yes; it brings the day, 
Promised day of Israel." 



134 A WOEKING CHURCH. 



age, and develop this department along the 
lines of Bible study. The church has been 
wont to depend upon the gratuitous service of 
some one of her members to 4 'act as" superin- 
tendent of the Sunday School. This has been 
a very self-denying and noble work on the part 
of tens of thousands of men and women. But 
there is a limit to the time and energy these 
people can expend upon this work. They have 
their personal duties and business to care for 
and hence they can simply "act as" superintend- 
ent, they cannot give the work the attention 
it deserves. Especially is this true when a 
church has a large field to cultivate. It is 
sufficient to ask of the members of the church 
to serve gratuitously as teachers of classes, but 
if the work of the Bible school is to be organ- 
zed and developed to the extent it should be, 
there must be a superintendent of this depart- 
ment who is able to put all his time and 
thought and talent and work into it. 
Such is the Faculty of a working church with 



THE FACULTY. 



135 



their departments as set forth in the Word of 
God, "for the perfecting of the saints, unto the 
work of ministering, unto the building up of 
the body of Christ: till we all attain unto the 
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the 
Son of God, unto a full grown man, unto the 
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, 
that we may be no longer children, tossed to 
and fro and carried about by every wind of 
doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, 
after the wiles of error: but speaking the truth 
in love, may grow up in all things into him, 
who is the head, even Christ: from whom all 
the body fitly framed and knit together through 
that which every joint supplieth, according to 
the working in due measure of each several 
part, maketh the increase of the body unto 
the, building up of itself in love." Eph 4:12-16. 

The First Presbyterian Church of Wichita, 
Kansas, is more and more nearly approaching 
to fche scriptural ideal of a completely organi- 
zed church faculty as set forth in these pages. 

Her Apostolic department is represented at 



132 A WORKING CHURCH. 



give ten times as muc'i attention to each one 
as he does. This means that a church should 
have at the head of its pastoral department 
one who has sufficient time and ability to do 
and get others to do pastoral work, as it should 
be done. 

Jesus Christ emphasizes the importance of 
this work in the pprable of the ninety and 
nine, where there are ninety and nine safe ones 
and only one wanderer; but the great heart of 
the good pastor goes out for the one gone 
astray, and although the road was rough and 
steep He went to the desert to find his sheep. 
It is just such conscious condition as this, that 
makes many a pastor's heart heavy, and hair 
turn prematurely gray. For instead of one 
wanderer from the fold there is not a preacher 
in the land with a church of a thousand mem- 
bers but knows that fully nine- tenths of his 
members need constant pastoral encourage- 
ment and sympathy. An evangelist may come 
to a city and be the means under God, in lead 



THE FACULTY. 



133 



ing a thousand to confess Christ, but it* they are 
left for the preachers of the various churches 
to care for along with all their other duties, 
nine out of ten of them will make little or no 
progress in the Kingdom of grace. This is one 
reason why some churches do not favor calling 
an evangelist. They have all the members and 
more than they can care for. But let a church 
properly equip itself in its pastoral and other 
departments, as every true church should do, 
and it will not need to shut down doing busi- 
ness for God because it cannot care for the grist 
it grinds. 

Fifth. The next chair to be filled is the 
Bible Teacher's chair. The occupant of this 
chair stands at the head of the Bible School of 
the church. This chair may 6 ttingly be asso- 
ciated with the pastoral mentioned above. 
The Scripture suggests this, but does not re- 
quire it. It ought not to be so associated 
where the work would suffer in consequence. 
His business is to superintend, organize, encour- 



130 A WORKING CHURCH. 



Third. The next chair to be filled in a prop- 
erly equipped church faculty, is the Evange- 
listic chair. The work of the evangelist is to 
lead in the special work of soul winning. The 
prophet himself must have an ideal evangelistic 
spirit to direct the church in this work. Bat 
he cannot always do the work of an evangelist. 
When his field is small he may fill, in case of 
emergency, the evangelstic chair as well as the 
prophetic chair. Like the college presidents of 
many of our small colleges, the preacher, must 
often be the whole faculty. But not in an 
ideal working church any more than an ideal 
working college, can the president fill all the 
chairs. God has appointed the evangelistic 
chair to be filled by a specialist in soul winning* 
He is saying to each church, "evangelize the 
unevangelized, convert the unconverted. Go 
out quickly and compel them to come in that 
my house may be filled." This does not mean 
that such specialist in evangelistic work need 
be on the field all the year through; but it 



THE FACULTY. 131 



does mean that this work should be going for- 
ward all the year through and that each church 
should seek to secure the aid of a properly 
accredited evangelist to assist in developing 
and carrying forward this work. 

Fourth. The next chair to be rilled and rilled 
constantly is the Pastoral chair. This is an 
exceedingly important department. The 
prophet or preacher should be an ideal pastor 
in spirit and in fact, but to expect him, in an 
ideal working church, to do all the pastoral 
work necessary and discharge his other duties 
is to expect the impossible. He will probably 
during the year, if he uses all the time and 
strength he can possibly summons, and dis- 
charge his other duties, make one thousand 
pastoral calls. But he will not be able to put 
into those visits the thought and prayer and 
power of the Holy Spirit that should go into 
them, and he will be conscious all the time 
that while he is making a thousand calls a year, 
he ought to make a thousand calls a month, and 



136 A WORKING CHURCH. 



present by four American foreign missionaries 
in China, and much other work along that line. 

Her Prophetic department is sustained by 
three regularly ordained preachers, who are 
also pastors, one of whom is the minister of the 
church mission, and another is the minister of 
the church music. 

Her Evangelistic department is represented 
from year to year by such evangelists as Major 
Whittle, Major Cole, Rev. H. H, Wells, D. D., 
Rev. W. E. Biederwolf, and the evangelistic 
efforts of her regular ministers. 

Her Pastoral department is sustained by the 
pastoral labors of her three ordained ministers 
and a city missionary. 

Her Bible School department is sustained at 
present wholly by volunteer service on the part 
of the officers and members of the church. At 
the head of this department, however, as super- 
intendent is one of the churches ablest elders, 
whose loyalty to the Word of God has done 
much to stimulate the church to an earnest 
study of that Word. 




Rev. John P. Harsex 

The first Pastor of the church, L81 1- 1 879 




Key. John D. Hewitt, D. D. 

The second Pastor of the church, 1819-1889. 



THE FACULTY. 



Eey. David Winters, L. L. D. 

The third Pastor of the church, 1889-1896. 



140 A WORKING CHURCH. 




The Church Session and Pastor 



THE FACULTY. 



141 




Eey. Hunter Corbett, D. D. 

Foreign Missionary Pastor, Chefoo, China. 



A WORKING CHURCH 




Rev. Chakles Edwin Bradt, Ph. D. 

Pastor since June 11, 1896. 



THE FACULTY. 




Key. Edtvik Htjyler 

Assistant Pastor ana Minister of Mission. 




Be v. J. Herbert MacConnell 

Assisstant Pastor and Minister of Music. 




Eev. Allen S. Davis, A. M. 

Assistant Pastor and Minister of Men's Work. 




Miss Alice Drake. 

City Missionary. 1021 N. Emporia, 



THE FACULTY. 



147 




Mrs. Corbett in the Medicine Book. 



A WORKING CHURCH. 




Miss Effie B. Cogpetc, M. D. 

Medical Missionary. Chefoo, China 




Dr. Cooper, and Miss Louisa Yatjgh xn 

iss Vaugban is Missionary Evangelist, Chefoo, China 



1(0 



A WORKING CHURCH. 




TriE FACILITIES NEEDED* 



Chapter VII 
The Facilities Needed. 

The Jewish temple was built to supply the 
need of its age. When it had served its pur- 
pose God left not one stone upon another to 
mark the site. Hence it is not a model f'»r the 
church of to-day, Church buildings should be 
erected to supply the needs of this age. In 
considering what kind of a church edifice is 
needed in this age we ought to consider, first 
of all, what, in this age. a church building 
should stand for. 

Our answer to this question is our answer to 
Christ when he commands us. 

1st. To preach the Gospel to every creature 
and disciple all nations. 

2nd. To baptize them into the name of the 
Father, Son. and Holy Ghost, 



154 A WORKING CHURCH. 



3rd. To teach them to observe all things what- 
soever He has commanded us. 

That is what the church spiritual, the body 
of Christ is organized to do in this age. That 
is what the church building, the material 
structure, the business house of the body of 
Christ should be erected to assist in accomplish- 
ing in this age. No enterprising business firm 
organizes a company to do a certain business 
and then erects a business building altogether, 
or only half way suited to do the business in 
hand. The children of the Kingdom of God 
should be as wise as the men of the world. To 
preach the gospel to all men, to baptize, and 
teach them, is the clear cut program for the 
church, and requires certain clear cut measures 
and means if it is to be carried out. These meas- 
ures and means have been just as clearly set 
forth in God's Word as the work to be done. 

In the previous chapter I called your atten- 
tion to the required church faculty as outlined 
in the Scriptures. 



THE FACILITIES NEEDED. 155 



In this chapter I am to call attention to the 
material facilities required by the Head of the 
church if His church is to accomplish, in this 
age, the work for which it is organized. What 
I am about to present will not be a repudiation 
of any of the methods and means of Scriptural 
warrant of the past. While there is much to be 
said in its favor, this much must also be said: 
the church of the past has not carried out the 
commission of her Lord. We of this genera* 
tion must do better or be found wanting also. 

Again nothing is more conspicuous in this age 
than the failure of the church of the present day 
to reach the unsaved, the unchurched masses, 
i. e., its failure to do the very thing Christ 
commanded it to do. This fact is heralded in 
pulpit and press, secular and religious, by both 
the enemies of the church and its friends. The 
old time methods of the church, taken by 
themselves, are a practical failure whenever 
and wherever they are put to the practical test 
in this age. They fail because they do not 



156 A WORKING CHURCH. 



reach the people Christ came to save. Let me 
illustrate what I mean by a question asked re- 
cently bv a prominent church worker: "What 
is more pathetic than to watch the struggles 
of a down town church, not because there are 
no people living near it, but solely because in 
the midst of a vast population, ever on the in- 
crease, the church makes no impression 

There is only one thing more pathetic, and 
that is to see such a church retreat from the 
midst of the very ones Christ came to save and 
for whose salvation He organized His Church, 
and take its place complacently upon some cul- 
tured boulevard or in the midst of an already 
christianized community where those who are 
already christian are satisfied to meet with one 
another in the worship of God. It is pathetic 
enough to see a church struggle on in the midst 
of down town masses using only the old time 
honored methods, but failing in the battle even 
as the Chinese failed with their old ancestral 
arms waging a warfare against modern condit- 



THE FACILITIES NEEDED. 



157 



ions: but such a spirit is admirable in compari- 
son with that which surrenders the field entire- 
ly to the enemy. The church of Jesus Christ 
Should at least be able to say with Napoleon's 
old body guard: "The old guard dies, it never 
surrenders.'' But there is no need for the 
church of Christ ever to be compelled to make 
such a humiliating confession, if she will 
recognize the fact that bricks can not be made 
without straw, that no matter how good a fac- 
ulty or workmen we have, in these days of mul- 
tiplied agencies and resources, we must provide 
our workmen with suitable tools and our facul- 
ty with up-to-date facilities. Whatever may 
be said in favor of Garfield's definition of a col- 
lege, viz: "A log with a student at one end and 
Mark Hopkins at the other.'' all must admit 
that if education is to become general and the 
privilege of the people, there must be. in this 
age. a larger faculty and better facilities pro- 
vided than a log. a student, and Mark Hopkins. 
The same is true in reference to the church. 



158 A WOKKING CHUECH. 



If the christian religion is to become the 
heritage of humanity it must embrace more 
than me and my wife and my son John and his 
wife, us four and a few more. 

A log house and thirteen people with a pastor 
may furnish a very good beginning for a church 
but if we expect God's business to be respected 
we must not be willing that it should be confined 
toacellar while we, ourselves, and others dwell 
in ceiled and cedar houses: or that God 's business 
should be carried on in a shack while we trans- 
act our business in brick blocks and sky- 
scrapers. 

But that is not the most important thing. 

The important thing is to have facilities suit- 
able for the transaction of an enormous busi- 
ness for God, unequalled by any other enter- 
prise of the age. 

This gospel must be preached to every creat- 
ure; every creature should be baptized into the 
name of the triune God. All men must be 
taught all things whatsoever Christ has com- 



THE FACILITIES NEEDED. 159 



manded us. This is our commission. This 
calls for large facilities. 

1. Undoutedly the church should have an 
auditorium for public worship capable of seat- 
ing regularly large numbers of people. This 
auditorium for worship should be in architect- 
ure and appointments of such character as will 
awaken reverence for God, both when it is be- 
held from the outside and looked upon from 
within and thus inspire men by its very appear- 
ance to worship in spirit and in truth. To thus 
worship God means, according to Jesus Christ's 
own interpertation, to say, "Lord Lord," with 
a sincere, reverent heart, and to do the things 
He commands us. This means also according 
to Jesus Christ's own interpretation, "A house 
of prayer for all people,'' and not a house of 
merchandise or idle performance. 

2. The church should have a Bible School 
House capable of accomodating and classifying 
into different departments large numbers of 
Bible students, not reckoning special classes 



160 A WORKING CHUECH. 

utilizing other parts of the church if necessary; 
also furnishing a suitable assembly ; room for 
lectures, entertainments and other needful 
congregational gatherings aside from the pub- 
lic worship of God. This structure should have 
a chaste, classical architectural front showing 
it to be a real but distinct part of the church 
building. 

But how are we going to bring the multi- 
tudes under the influence of the church tha.t 
we may preach the Gospel to them and baptize 
them and teach them? The answer to this 
question calls for facilities and a policy of church 
life which will enable us to establish a point of 
contact with the large numbers of people out- 
side of the church as well as within. 

3 To this end the church should have as a 
part of its church a Cmb House or a Parish 
House or a Church House, call it by whatever 
name vou like for the masses of people around 
it. This house should be appropriately and at- 
tractively equipped and conducted to meet the 



THE FACILITIES NEEDED. 161 



social needs of the masses. By meeting the 
social newels I mean a practical recognition of 
the individual as a member of the human fam- 
ily and of those instincts which must be culti- 
vated and encouraged and looked after if he is 
to be properly developed, not only, but if he is 
to be reached in any way either spiritually, in- 
tellectually, commercially, or diabolically, for 
even the devil has in some way to meet a 
man's social needs before he can get hold of 
him to damn him. The business world is not 
slow to recognize this need and meet it. The 
devil is not slow to recognize it: he is up early 
and late to meet it. Our educational institu- 
tions are spending millions and millions of dol- 
lars to meet it. But the church: alas! 

There never was an age when business was 
transacted on such an enormous scale. There 
never was an age when so many people went to 
the devil. There never was an age when so 
many people went to college. And in Christen- 
dom, there never was an age when so few peo- 



162 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



pie, comparatively went to church. But what is 
the church doing to get the people? Probably 
not one church in a hundred has any established 
facilities for supplying the social needs of even 
their own membership in a very small way. It 
is getting to be the fashion for our larger 
churches to provide a kitchen department and 
furniture, which is called into service more or 
less frequently when special invitations are 
extended to the members of the church and 
congregation. But for a church to equip itself, 
to keep open house every day in the year, 
where people are encouraged in an irresistible 
manner to drop in to rest, read the paper, write 
a letter, check their grip, get a lunch, meet a 
friend, make their toilet, secure information or 
advice, consult a book, hold a committee meet- 
ing, exercise their body, enjoy a game, take a 
bath, form pleasant companionships and friend- 
ly associations,— such a church is scarcely to be 
found; but when it is found, it is found reach- 
ing the masses. Churches of this kind, record- 



THE FACILITIES NEEDED. 



163 



ing to statistics kept, show eight times the 
number of conversions in a year reported in 
other churches. Such a department should be 
a feature of the future church building and 
policy of the First Presbyterian Church of 
Wichita. Kansas. 

[1]. Because of the large numbers of unreach- 
ed people about us. Some have suggested that 
this is the work of the Y. M. C. A. I answer, 
yes, it is a work in part of the Y. M. C. A. The 
Young Men's Christian Association is for young 
men. Such a Club House as I suggest for the 
church is for all classes, age and sex, not for the 
men any more than the women, or the boys any 
more than the girls. We need it sadly to be 
sure for the sake of the men and young men of 
our community. ^STo matter how well equipped 
our Y. M. C. A. may be, it can never touch 
more than a tithe of the more than 10,000 men 
and boys of our City. We have in our own 
church families, more than 500 men and boys. 
The devil is bidding strong for these and tak- 



164 A WORKING CHURCH. 



ing many of them away from us right before 
our eyes. For their sakes alone we should 
furnish suitable counter attractions. But it 
is not alone for their sakes. Oar share of the 
men and boys of our city outside of the churches 
is at the very least 1000. We should certainly 
do nur part to save these thousands of such as 
fall to our lot even though all the other 
churches in the city and the Y. M. C. A. com- 
bined were running under full pressure accord- 
ing to the most approved methods. We need 
them all; and yet we have practically nothing 
of the kind. Is it any wonder that we fail? 

"Taint a knowin' kind of cattle . 
That is ketehed with mouldy corn." 

But it is not alone for the men and boys, but 
for the girls and young women and others, we 
need this Parish house. And not alone for 
these by themselves. It is not good for man 
to be alone, nor for woman to be alone. We 
should have such facilities as will accomodate 
and encourage social life separately with regard 



THE FACILITIES NEEDED. 165 



to the sex. But God has ordained that in the 
chinch as well as in the family there should be 
co-educational, co-operative associations and 
works. We need it for the entire church. God 
has destined this church to have a household 
of 2500 members, with a parish consisting of 
eight or ten thousand people within the next 
few years if we are willing in this day of God's 
power to do our part; but we are not even now r 
caring for our own household of 1300 members 
as we should. Our proper parish right now, 
embraces a population, in this city, of five 
thousand people. Yet we have not suitable 
conveniences, of a modern type to attract them 
together or stimulate ecclesiastical family life 
and ties, aside fron the distinctively religious 
service. If they are not altogether as sheep 
without a shepherd, they are as sheep without a 
very inviting fold. We might as well expect 
children to love their home and have strong 
home ties binding them day and night to the 
old home and its associations with pride and 



166 A WOBKING CHUKCH. 



boasting of its pleasure, when there is no pro- 
vision made in the home of a social and pleas- 
urable nature other than three meals a day, 
at the same time the parents having ample 
means, put all the rest of their time and money 
in seeking pleasure and profit outside of the 
home. The church building is the home of the 
household of faith and for one thing must pro- 
vide suitable social homelike conveniences and 
attractions for its members, as well as for those 
it hopes to have become members, or else fail 
of any large success, loyalty and enthusiasm in 
its behalf. 

'Fourth. .Now these three departments should 
be so architecturally designed that each sev- 
eral building fitly framed together would be- 
come a holy temple in the Lord's work, illus- 
trating in appearance and use what it means 
to worship God in spirit and in truth. God has 
been preparing the First Presbyterian Church 
of Wichita in spirit and practice, for just such 
a grand, magnificent mission. Its location is 



THE FACILITIES NEEDED. 167 



ideal for this work. I cannot but believe that 
God in His providence located this church on 
the corner of First and Lawrence, and has held 
it there all these years in that best of all places, 
for just such a time and work as this. 

"In one of the European cities there is a 
temple through which is a passageway into a 
market. Those who pass into the market to 
buy and sell may turn aside to kneel at the 
altar of prayer and to commune with God." 

Such a building is entirely within the pos- 
sibilities of our resources as a church. The 
entire building would probably cost $60,000. 
But we should not undertake to build it all at 
one time. The church Club House which is 
greatly needed at oncH. as a means to an end, if 
we are to reach in order to preach the Gospel 
to, baptize and teach the multitudes about us, 
could be erected this year without disturbing 
any building we have on our lots, or without 
imposing too heavy financial burden upon our 
members. Two years later the Bible School 



168 



A WOKKING CHUECH. 



House could be erected in the same way. Two 
years after that we would be ready for our 
main church auditorium. Thus within the 
next six or seven years we could cause to grow 
up here in the heart of this city a plant that 
would not only be au ornament and credit to 
our beautiful city but one whose influence 
would be a benediction to every individual in 
it, and reach to the uttermost parts of the 
earth. 

"Apostles of the risen Christ, go forth ! 

Let love compel. 
Go, and in risen power proclaim, his worth, 
O'er every region uf the dead, cold earth,— 

His glory tell! 

Tell how he lived, and toiled, and wept below; 

Tell all his love; 
Tell the dread wonders of his awful woe; 
Tell how he fought our fight, and smote our foe. 

Then rose above! 

Tell how in weakness he was crucified, 

But rose in power; 
Went up on high, accepted, glorified; 
News of his victory spread far and wide, 

From hour to hour. 



THE FACILITIES NEEDED. 



169 



Tell how he sits at the right hand of God 

In glory bright, 
Making the heaven of heavens his glad abode; 
Tell how he corneth with the iron rod 

His foes to smite. 
Tell how his kingdom shall thro' ages stand, 

And never cease; 
Spreading like sunshine over every land, 
All nations bowing to his high command, 

Great Prince of peace!' 1 

That the spirit of the above poem controls, 
in large measure, the members of the First 
Presbyterian church of Wichita, is manifested 
by the following 

Congregational Action April 2, 1903. 

In view of the fact that our church is coming 
more and more to a recognized position of ad- 
vanced missionary standing, and that our pas- 
tor is being called upon with growing frequency 
to assist in stimulating missionary interest 
among the churches of this country, and in 
v:ew of the fact that no work is so important 
either to the welfare of the churches of this 
country or the unevangelized heathen world as 



170 A WOEKING CHURCH. 



that of undertaking to carry out the great 
Commission of Christ; we the members of the 
First Presbyterian Church of Wichita, Kansas, 
in annual congregational meeting assembled, 
authorize: 

First. That the session increase the time 
heretofore allowed our pastor to engage in this 
work of missionary evangelism, it being under- 
stood that until an assistant pastor shall be en- 
gaged who can give acceptable service in the 
pulpit and pastoral work, our pastor's absence 
at any time shall not extend over more than 
one Sabbath, when good pulpit supplies shall 
always be secured. 

Second. That the pastor and session be 
authorized to secure an assistant pastor at a 
salary not to exceed $1500 a year, who shall 
give his whole time to our local field, having in 
charge such special lines of church work as 
may be agreed upon by them. 



The By=Laws 



Chapter VIII. 
Th« By = Laws. 

The following By-Laws were adopted by the 
First Presbyterian church of Wichita,, Kansas, 
at a congregational meeting, April 2, 1903. The 
church had been working under these regula- 
tions for some time previous to their adoption 
by the congregation. Judge D. A. Mitchell, 
who has been the efficient Clerk of the Session 
for over a quarter of a century, serving the 
church with remarkable fidelity, carefully re- 
vised them before their final adoption. 
ARTICLE 1. 
Organization. 

Section 1 The name of this organization 
shall be known as "The First Presbyterian 



THE BY-LAWS. 



173 



Church of Wichita Kansas." Its place of busi- 
ness shall be in the city of Wichita. 

AETICLE 2. 
Time of Stated Meetings. 

Section 1 The Stated Annual Meeting 
shall be held in the church, at 8 o'clock, on the 
first Thursday evening in April of each year, 
for the election of officers and hearing annual 
reports, in writing, of all official boards and or- 
ganization of the church, at which time the 
fiscal year shall end. 

ARTICLE 3. 
Special Congregational Meetings, how called. 

Section 1 Special Congregational Meetings 
of the Church may be called by the Session at 
any time: and it shall always be the duty of the 
Session, to convene the congregation, when re- 
quested to do so, in writing, by 100 of the mem- 
bers of the church. 

Section 2 Notice of the Annual and Spec- 
ial Meetings shall be given to the congregation 
by announcement from the pulpit or by publi- 



174 A WORKING CHURCH. 



cation, for two Sabbaths next preceding the 
Meeting of an Annual, and for a Special Meet- 
ing, on the Sabbath next preceding the Meet- 
ing. 

Section § No business shall be transacted 
at a Special Meeting except the business speci- 
fied in the notice thereof. 

ARTICLE 4. 
Chairman and Secretary. 

Section 1 The pastor shall be ex-officio chair- 
man of all congregational meetings; but if for 
any reason, the congregation desires to do so, 
they may choose a member of the congregation, 
pro tem. 

Section 2 The Clerk of the Session, shall be 
ex-officio Secretary of all the Congregational 
Meetings of the church. 

Section 3 All Meetings of the congregation, 
herein specified, shall be opened and closed 
with prayer. 

ARTICLE 5. 

Officers and Vacancies, how chosen, and term 
of office. 

Section 1 The officers of this organization 



THE BY-LAWS. 



175 



shall be. twelve Elders, twelve Deacons and 
Seven Trustees: all of whom shall be members 
of this church. 

Section 2 All elections of officers shall be 
by ballot. 

Section 3 The term' of office of the Elders 
and Deacons shall be for three years: four being- 
elected each year (except where vacancies 
occur, members shall be added to the number, 
for the unexpired term) at the annual meeting. 

Section 4 Vacancies in the board of either 
Elders or Deacons, at any other time than at 
the Annual meeting, shall be rilled by election, 
at a special meeting of the congregation, called 
for that purpose. 

Section 5 The Elders andDeacons elected , 
as specified in Section 3, shall organize them- 
selves, upon their election, in conformity with 
their several duties, and shall hold regular meet- 
ings, and shall transact all business in con- 
formity with the Directory for Worship and 
Constitution of the Presbyterian Church of the 
Cnited States of America. 



176 



A WORKING CHURCH. 



Section 6 The Elders shall organize by the 
election of a Clerk arici Treasurer and shall hold 
regular monthly meetings. 

Section 7 The pastor, as Moderator of the 
Session, shall appoint such committees as shall 
be necessary for the transaction of all business 
pertaining to the duties of the Session. 

Section 8 In the absence of the pastor, the 
Session may elect a Moderator pro-tern, from 
their number. 

Section 9 The Clerk of the Session, shall 
perform such duties as are prescribed by the 
form of government and discipline of the Pres- 
byterian Church. 

Section 10 The Treasurer of the Session, 
shall have charge of all collections for the 
Benevolences of the church and shall disburse 
the same to the different Boards of the 
church, as directed by the Session. 

ARTICLE 6. 
Deacons and their duties. 

Section 1 The deacons shall be elected, as 



THE BY-LAWS. 



177 



in Section 3 Article 5. They shall organize up- 
on their election, by electing a President, Vice 
President, Secretary, and Treasurer, and shall 
hold regular monthly meetings. 

Section 2 They shall especially louk out 
for any members of the congregation who are 
in need and shall see that a fund is set apart 
for such purposes; and shall distribute the same 
as necessity may require. 

ARTICLE 7. 
Trustees and their duties. 
Section 1 The Trustees shall be elected each 
year at the Annual Meeting and hold office for 
one year, and until their successors shall be 
elected and installed. 

Section 2 They shall organize by subscrib- 
ing to an oath of office, as prescribed by the 
Statutes of Kansas, for Corporations. 

Section 3 They shall elect a president, 
vice president, secretary, and treasurer; and 
shall have regular monthly meetings and shall 
perform such duties as usually pertain to such 



178 A WORKING CHURCH. 



positions and shall keep a record of their pro- 
ceedings, in their minute book of their proceed- 
ings. 

Section 4 The Treasurer may x be chosen 
outside of the board of Trustees; and shall have 
charge of all the funds collected by the church 
and shall pay over, weekly, to the Treasurer of 
the Session and deacons, such amounts as shall 
be paid in their respective funds. 

Section 5 The Treasurer shall submit a 
financial statement, quarterly, to the congrega- 
tion and shall notify, by letter, each subscriber 
as to his or her account, at the end of the 2nd. 
and 3rd. quarters of each year. 

Section 6 Be shall deposite the funds 
under his official title as Treasurer, in some 
bank designated by the board of Trustees. 

Section 7 He shall pay out no money, ex- 
cept by order of the board. 

Section 8 He shall report to the board, 
whenever called upon, as to the amount of 
funds in his hands, and shall submit his books 



THE BY-LAWS. 



179 



to the inspection of the board, or any member 
of the congregation, when requested to do so. 

Section 9 At the end of his term of office, 
he shall turn over to his successor, all money, 
books, etc. pertaining to his uffice. 

Section 10 The board of Trustees, in Feb- 
ruary of each year, shall review the financial 
condition of the church, for the current year, 
ending in April following: and in case a defi- 
ciency be foreseen, they shall acquaint the con- 
gregation with the fact, and take vigorous steps 
to provide for meeting such deficiency, before 
the next annual meeting. 

Section 11 Vacancies in the board of Trus- 
tees may be filled by the remaining members 
oi the board. 

AETICLE 8. 
Church Council. 
Section 1 The Pastor. Elders. Deacons, 
and Trustees shall together, constitute the 
Church Council, and shall hold regular quar- 
terly meetings on the last Tuesday in. April. 



1 



180 A WORKING CHURCH. 

July, October ,and January, of each year, for 
conference, and for the consideration of all 
questions pertaining to the welfare of the 
church. 

ARTICLE 9. 
By-Laws, How amended, and notice thereof. 

Section 1 These By-laws may be altered 
or amended at any annual meeting of the con- 
gregation, or at a special meeting called for 
that purpose, by a two thirds vote of the quali- 
fied voters present at the meeting. 

Section 2 Notice of such special meeting, 
called for such purposes, shall be given on thv 
two sabbaths next preceding the meeting, 
which notice shall state the object of the meet- 
ing. 



THE BY-LAWS. 



181 



Conclusion. 

The foregoing is in perfect harmony with the 
following resolution, unanimously passed by a 
vote of the congregation, April 3, 1898. 

Resolved, That we, the members of the First Pres- 
byteriaD church, of Wichita, Kansas, in regular con* 
gregational meeting assembled, do hereby express our 
desire that this church shall become and be known as 
a missionary church; that is: 

1st. A church whose chief aim and ambition shall be 
to glorify God by the proclamation of the name of the 
Lord to every creature on earth. 

2nd. A church whose organization shall be such as 
to best carry out the Great Commission as given by our 
Lord and Saviour. 

]rd. A church that believes Jesus Christ meant what 
He said in Matthew 28: 18-30, viz: 

(1.) That all power is given unto Him in heaven and 
in earth. 

(2.) That all people wno become His followers should 
immediately and persistently endeavor to preach and 
teach His Gospel to all such as know it not. 

(3./ That obedience to this command on the -part of 
His followers will insure His continued presence and 
power with them unto the end of the world ; hence will 
guarantee to them success and usefulness which will 
evidence to the world in an unanswerable manner that 
Jesus Christ is all He claims to be, the onlv begotten 
Son of God and the only Saviour for lost humanity. 



SEP 19 1903 



